


grief doesn't care how many years its been

by Gummy



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-04-22 08:44:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14305035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gummy/pseuds/Gummy
Summary: After the sudden breakup of their band RWBY, Yang is washed up and wandering the desert in a broken down RV with no rhyme or reason to her life besides hot whiskey and cold margaritas, Ruby and Weiss are singing sad records together, and Blake? Well, nobody knew where the hell Blake went.Maybe things were meant to be this way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody! Hopefully I'll be able to update this as much as I can with my work schedule. Leave a comment if you like it!

It was hot. 

That was a redundant statement; of _course_ it was hot it was the desert. Finding out which which desert Yang was currently in was the real question since she had no idea herself. She figured she could be in Arizona, but by the smell wafting in along with the breeze she guessed she was somewhere in Nevada, possibly close to Vegas. Yang gave another deep inhale along with the next pitiful gust that whipped by. Yup, definitely near Vegas. She could practically smell the strippers and booze on the wind.

Yang stretched her arms high above her head and let out an enormous yawn, sinking back into her creaky lawn chair. Dust and sand kicked up around her feet and clung to the worn leather of her boots as she stretched her cramped up legs as well. Who know how many highways Yang had drifted through the night before. She just followed the road until the sun peeked over the horizon. Lazily scratching her neck, she checked the cracked watch on her wrist. Half past noon. 

“Perfect time for a margarita.” Yang sighed contently, standing up and climbing the rickety steps into the beaten down RV she had been calling home for the last nine months. She had bought it off some bartender when she was spending time in Mexico. The inside was fairly worn and there was an ever present smell of spilled liquor; but the engine worked and it was a secluded place to sleep which was the only thing Yang cared about. The shaded inside was suffocatingly hot as Yang grabbed ice and tequila from her portable freezer. She dumped the two ingredients into a well worn blender and rushed to grab the others before the ice melted. Sweat dribbled down every part of her body and she became achingly aware of how dry her lips were as the frozen concoction was blended and mixed together. Figuring the drink was more or less done, Yang jabbed the off button. Instead of pouring the margarita into a cup, she stuck a straw into the pitcher and took it with her back outside into the oppressive heat. 

Plopping back into her chair, Yang gave another content sigh and took a large sip of her drink. Perfectly balanced, if not a little chunky thanks to her impatience. Sweet enough for taste but with enough kick to burn the back of your throat just like any good cocktail should be.   

Settling more comfortably into her chair, Yang punched on the extremely old portable radio that sat on the table next to her. It sputtered to life and began to play a staticky country tune from whatever radio station it had picked up. Yang snapped along to the bouncy song and steadily drained her drink, smacking her lips in satisfaction when it was finally gone. That was a damn fine margarita. Hell if she ever got bored of wandering the desert she could settle in a city and open a bar.  

“Yang’s Famous Margaritas.” She said aloud to herself, holding a hand up towards the cloudless sky, “I wonder how I could fit a pun in there.” 

The margaritas themselves wouldn’t even have to taste remotely good. Yang knew her fame would be the main selling point of any business endeavor she wanted to try. People would travel for miles not for the margaritas, but for a chance to be face to face with Yang Xiao Long, ex-lead guitarist for the world famous band RWBY. The thought made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. 

Forget the margaritas.

She turned and cranked up the radio, leaning farther back into the chair which groaned dangerously. The lovely mixture of booze and a full stomach was making Yang incredibly drowsy as the mournful tune playing from the radio made her eyes heavy. Tipping her hat down over her eyes, she leaned back her head and drifted off. 

* * *

 

The loud squeal of a guitar riff awoke Yang with a jerk. It was dark now and it took her a few bleary moments to process what she was hearing on the radio. She knew that tune, she knew it well and she wanted it to stop. Without hesitation, Yang slammed her fist onto the top of the radio, the brute force completely shattering the glass front. The song turned into crackling static and then fizzled into silence. Yang wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, breathing heavily while her heart boomed in her ears. Of all the songs, why did it have to be  _ that  _ one. The back of Yang’s throat began to burn, aching for a drink. Or anything that would stop her brain from dredging up old wounds. She jumped up from the lawn chair and hurried inside the RV, anxiously digging through her cabinets.

“Gotcha.” She grabbed the tequila bottle from earlier but let out a frustrated groan when she found it to be empty. In fact, all of the bottles were empty. Running a shaky hand through her hair, Yang looked through the grimy window of the RV. City lights illuminated the sky in the near distance, blotting out the stars. A city meant either a liquor store or a bar. 

Yang jumped into the driver’s seat and twisted the keys into the ignition. The RV’s engine sputtered to life and began to roll over the small dunes of sand. As the city grew closer, Yang realized that she was right about being on the outskirts of Vegas which was like hitting the lottery for someone needing a drink. It also meant almost nobody would recognize her, and that was the only thing she cared about besides quenching her thirst. Not wanting to venture too far into the heart of the city, Yang parked the RV in the lot of a run down looking motel. She figured a shady establishment wouldn’t be too keen on getting cops involved over a parking space. 

Yang grabbed a worn cowboy hat and bent it low on her head, tucking her hair up into the top. She stepped out of the RV, not bothering to lock the doors. There was nothing of value inside anyway. Taking a deep breath, Yang smiled slightly. Vegas still smelled like Vegas. 

Avoiding the invasive neon signs all around her, Yang took the much dimmer path towards the less crowded part of the city. She hoped to find some hole in the wall pub that served strong drinks in questionably clean glasses. After walking about a mile, Yang spied exactly what she was looking for. The bar was simply called “Junior’s” and half of the lights in the sign were burned out. 

“Perfect.” Yang said under her breath as she opened the front door. The bar was dimly lit and a thick haze of cigarette smoke hung in the air. There were a few scattered patrons hanging around at the bar and pool tables. None of them looked like they were in the mood for making friends. Yang took a seat at the bar away from the other customers who ignored her, more interested in the whiskey they sipped on. 

“Drink?” The bartender asked gruffly, eyeing Yang like she had ruined his day by showing up. 

“Whiskey. Make it a double.”

He turned and grabbed a glass from the top shelf and poured a hearty amount of liquor. Yang’s mouth watered as the bartender placed the glass in front of her, walking away before she could ask him to do anything else. She didn’t even care about the weird streaks on the cup, Yang lifted it to her lips and took a large sip. It burned from the tip of her tongue all the way down her throat until it settled warmly in her stomach. She lifted it again and drained the glass this time, slamming it down contently. 

“You’ve clearly been through some shit.” The bartender had returned, looking at Yang like he was slightly impressed.

“And you must be Junior.” She replied, winking at him. Junior shrugged and refilled the glass to the brim.

“It’s on the house.”  

“Cheers.” Yang laughed quietly to herself, draining the whiskey in three big gulps. She wiped her lips and leaned back in her chair, tapping the greasy top of the bar with her fingers to get another round. The pounding in her ears had finally stopped and the thought of  _ that  _ song playing on the radio no longer made her stomach twist up in knots. The only thing Yang was feeling now was the blissful numbness of a buzz.

Junior placed another full glass in front of her but this time she sipped it slowly, enjoying the bitter taste. He lingered for a moment, as if wanting to ask her something. 

“Shoot.” Yang said, still casually enjoying her drink. 

“I’ve seen you somewhere.” Junior said, rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully, “You look like that chick from RWBY, remember them? You look like the blonde one.” Normally Yang would panic at a question like this, but the whiskey was too busy whisking all of her cares away.

“Nope. My boobs aren’t nearly as big as her’s. And that ass? Forget it.” Yang lied easily. Junior’s eyes darted down and back up again. 

“Well you could be a hell of an impersonator.” He shrugged indifferently, “You definitely picked the right town for it.”

“Thanks but no thanks.” Yang said with a grimace, “I’ve done enough pretending for one lifetime.” She swirled the whiskey around in the glass, scowling down into her honey-colored reflection before lifting it back to her lips. No matter how much liquor she drank, the ache in her chest didn’t seem to fade. Looking around the hazy bar, Yang caught the eye of a stranger sitting at a table in the far corner. The person quickly broke eye contact and leaned to whisper in the ear of the person next to them. It gave Yang an uneasy feeling but she turned back towards Junior, angling her chair away from them. 

“Y’know I actually saw RWBY live one time.” He said, wiping down a glass with a yellow-used-to-be-white rag. 

“Oh yeah?” Yang said, trying to seem disinterested in the topic.

“Yeah, the bassist actually let me touch one of her kitty ears.” Junior said with an air of smugness, “Well, I reached out and touched it but I don’t think she noticed.”

Yang didn’t want to talk about this anymore. She wanted it to stop. The ache in her chest had turned into a scorching burn that even whiskey couldn’t douse. It was too much for one day; the song, the ears. Her whole head felt like it was about to explode. 

“Looks like I’m not the only one who thinks you’re famous.” Junior said, dragging Yang from her panicked thoughts. 

“H-Huh?” Yang glanced back over her shoulder towards the strangers at the table. Now they were both staring at her attentively. The pair was wearing what Yang could only assume to be poorly made wigs and some cheap sunglasses even though the bar was almost as dark as it was outside. A cold sweat broke out across her forehead as she weakly laughed at Junior’s joke.

“That happens to me wherever I go.” Yang said with a smile that probably looked more pained than she wanted. She quickly dug around in her pockets for her wallet.

“You’re leaving already?” Junior asked, seeming slightly disappointed. Yang looked back again and realized with an alarming jolt that the oddly dressed couple was rising from their seats. 

“Yep, early morning tomorrow.” Yang said briskly, dropping a stack of bills on the countertop, “Keep the change I don’t need it.” 

“Hold on I have to cash you out.” Junior said, turning to face the cash register against the wall. Yang cursed under her breath and tapped her fingers impatiently. The couple was getting closer now and Yang knew they were for sure coming to speak to her. This had been a mistake. A  _ huge  _ mistake. She should’ve just gone to a liquor store.  _ Why  _ didn’t she just go to a liquor store? Yang looked around wildly before making a mad dash to the exit. 

“Hey stop!” A voice called behind her but she kept running. People stared and a group of drunks cheered as she ran down the streets. The alcohol was definitely making her way more sluggish and clumsy which caused Yang to take a nasty fall, shredding the skin of her hands and knees. With a groan, she got up and kept running, definitely regretting that she parked so far away. 

Finally Yang could see the flickering sign of her motel, if she could just hold out long enough-

“Yang Xiao Long stop right there!” A voice commanded. “We know who you are the jig is up!” Yang froze in her tracks, sweat dripping down her forehead and blood dribbling down her legs. She knew that bossy voice. But if  _ she  _ was there that meant-

Yang turned.

“Ruby? Weiss?”   


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I was moving into a new apartment. Thanks for all of your comments and kudos they mean a lot!

Yang stared with her mouth slightly agape, eyebrows raised high on her head. The two women standing before her were unmistakably her old bandmates; but they were both wearing obviously fake wigs and Ruby had on a large fake nose. Weiss had a cross look on her face, hands poised dangerously on her hips but Ruby was practically vibrating with excitement. Yang swallowed her initial shock, trying to clear her foggy head in order to form a coherent sentence. 

“Well?” Weiss said impatiently, “Aren’t you going to say hello?” 

This was the last thing Yang had expected to happen. And probably the one she was most afraid of happening. This was worst case scenario type shit.

“Yeah sorry,” Yang said, shaking her head, “Too much to drink tonight.” She was suddenly yanked forward (with impressive force) by Ruby who had pulled her into a bear hug.

“Yang it’s been  _ forever!”  _ Ruby cried shrilly, twirling her around in a circle, “I can’t believe you’re actually here in Vegas! What are you doing here?”

“Yes, what  _ are  _ you doing here?” Weiss asked, “And I sure hope you weren’t planning on driving while this inebriated.”

“I live in an RV.” Yang said, wrenching an arm from Ruby’s iron grip to point at her shabby vehicle. Weiss looked like she was fighting back a grimace. 

“I still can’t believe we ran into you!” Ruby said with a huge grin.

“Me either,” Yang frowned, “What were you guys doing in a place like that?”

“We were being inconspicuous.” Ruby said, pointing to her bulbous fake nose.

Yang let out a breath. The bombshell of running into Weiss and Ruby had started to wear off and a strange mixture of comfort and sadness was settling in her chest. The last couple of years hadn’t done much to either of them. Ruby’s hair was a little longer and Weiss’ a little shorter and each had a few more tattoos than before, but that was about it. It felt like almost no time had passed at all since Yang had called it quits. 

“What are you guys up to these days.” Yang dared to ask. 

“We’re doing an acoustic tour around the country!” Ruby said excitedly, “Real exclusive stuff since tickets sold out within a few days!” 

“Wow.” Yang whistled, “New material?”

“Ruby and I have been producing our own songs, yes.” Weiss said, “RWBY has taken a more emotional approach to music.” 

“You guys still go by that name huh.” Yang said, trying to keep the ache out of her voice.   

“There’s still two of us, might as well.” Ruby shrugged, “We did even after Blake-” 

She was cut off by a deep elbow to the ribs by Weiss. Ruby closed her mouth and looked at Yang apologetically. 

This entire day was too much. The song, the chance meeting with her old bandmates. Yang thought her head was going to explode from overstimulation. She needed to cut this reunion short before it got any more out of control. 

“Well, I better get going.” Yang said, looking awkwardly off to the left. She didn’t think she could handle seeing the hurt expression she knew Ruby had on her face. 

“You don’t want to come hang out with us?” Ruby asked, sounding disappointed. She had pulled the fake nose off of her face, “It’s not that late.”

“I know,” Yang said uncomfortably, “I think I just need to go to bed. Like I said, too much to drink.” 

“Oh I know!” Ruby said, immediately perking up, “Come to our show tomorrow night!” 

“W-wha?” 

“That’s actually a pretty good idea.” Weiss hummed, cracking a smile, “A surprise RWBY reunion. We would love to hear you play again.” 

Yang took a frightened step back, hating how expectant their faces looked. She hadn't picked up a guitar in almost two years. And the  _ crowds.  _ The people, the noise, the pressure to be everything the fans thought you were. It was making Yang’s head spin in circles. She loved Ruby and she loved Weiss and she would be lying if there wasn’t some deep part of her brain was begging her to play in that show. But it wouldn't be the same. It would just be another memory to wipe clean with whiskey. 

“I’m sorry.” She said flatly, turning on her heel, “I can’t do that.” 

Yang began to walk back towards her RV, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jeans. She heard Ruby’s crestfallen sigh and a disappointed tongue click from Weiss. 

“When are you going to give this up, Yang.”

She stopped in her tracks at Weiss’s words.

“Blake is gone. She left and she isn’t coming back.” Weiss continued, “You can’t spend the rest of your life wandering the country hoping you’ll run into her.”

“Weiss what are you doing?” Ruby interjected frightfully.

“No she needs to hear this.” Weiss said, brushing Ruby aside, “Enough is enough.” 

“You should stop talking if you know what’s good for you.” Yang growled, fists curling.

“You can’t spend the rest of your life moping around.” Weiss plowed on, “Nobody knows where Blake is because she doesn’t want to be found. What part of that don’t you get?” 

“Weiss I’m warning you.” Yang snarled, whipping around, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“She was our friend too.” Weiss said, “I know  _ exactly  _ what I’m talking about.” 

Rage flooded into Yang. Her entire body was shaking with it. She ground her teeth together, holding back every insult and curse she wanted to spit in Weiss’ hardened face. The worst part was, Yang knew what Weiss said was the truth. And it made her even angrier. 

“You don’t know the half of what was going on.” Yang snapped, “And you don’t know anything about who I am now so don’t pretend like you know what’s going on inside my head.” 

“Oh I know who you are now.” Weiss said with a dangerous edge in her voice, “You’re a washed up, ex-celebrity who lives in a disgusting RV and drowns herself in whiskey because she’s too much of a coward to face the reality of her life.”

“Weiss!” Ruby squeaked, hiding behind her hands. 

“And _ you’re _ the reason Blake left.” Weiss finished, crossing her arms in finality. Every rebuttal Yang was about to yell died in her throat. She began to shiver as Weiss’ words washed over her again and again. It was her fault. It  _ was  _ her fault. 

_ You’re the reason Blake left. _

Was it the truth? Was it a lie? Was it both? 

The sidewalk began to spin, the city lights around them becoming a circle of blurs. The sound of Ruby and Weiss arguing became one long high pitched noise. Yang could faintly feel a hand on her shoulder but she couldn’t do anything or tell whose it was. Was someone calling her name? 

The only thing in Yang’s mind was  _ her.  _ Blake’s long raven hair tied back as she sat on an amp and tuned her bass, cat ears twitching with every note. Her smile, her eyes,  _ everything.  _

Then she saw the tears streaming down Blake’s face, the wind whipping her hair as she yelled and pushed Yang away. The back of her head as she left. The last time Yang had seen her.     

Yang fell to her scraped up knees and vomited on the sidewalk. 

 

\---

 

RWBY started in a garage as all rock bands with humble beginnings so often do. Yang credits herself with being the first member, Ruby the second, Weiss the third, and Blake the final fourth. It began their junior year of high school with Yang’s guitar and Ruby’s drums along with sloppy songs and off key singing. When both of them realized neither had any sort of vocal talent, they recruited (with some difficulty) Weiss Schnee. After tightening up their performance and lyrics, the trio realized that there was still something missing from their music. That’s when by chance, Yang found Blake alone in the music room one day after school, carefully tuning her bass. After some coaxing, the band RWBY was born into the garage music scene.

They were limited to a max of two hours practice time on weekdays, but no later than six o’ clock, and three hours on weekends, no later than eight o’ clock. Ruby and Yang’s father could only take that much at a time. They spent every moment of practice they were allowed perfecting their genre and style and every moment they weren't playing they wrote songs and melodies.  

After high school, the band began to move their music out of the garage and into the bar scene of Patch. They played in any run down pub or music venue that would take them. Often times they played to almost nobody but that only made them more determined. 

Eventually they were discovered by an agent and she made them an almost instant success. Albums flew off the shelves and every music streaming site begged for the rights to their music. After years of playing to empty rooms, RWBY was selling out massive stadiums within hours of ticket releases. They made it on the covers of magazines and every late night show wanted to interview them. Ruby even became the official spokesperson for her favorite cookie brand.

RWBY toured the world together for three amazing years. 

And then just like that, things fell apart.  

 

\----

Yang groaned. Everything hurt. Oh God, everything really hurt. She rubbed her eyes and opened them slightly. Sunlight streamed through the blinds of her RV and the steady sounds of the city bustled around her. So it was definitely morning but she couldn’t remember ever putting herself to bed which wasn’t exactly an unusual occurrence.  

“You’re awake.” 

The voice startled her. Yang wasn’t used to being around company, much less waking up with it.

“Weiss?” Yang croaked, turning her head to the side to find Weiss sitting on a chair next to the bed. There was a washcloth slung over her shoulder and a bucket next to her feet. She looked like she hadn’t slept.   

“Hush and drink this.” Weiss said, handing over a glass of water. Yang groaned again as she sat up, pain shooting through her head. She grabbed the glass with some difficulty and quickly gulped down all of it. It barely helped the musty taste on the back of her tongue. Yang’s head throbbed again and she held her forehead with a grunt. 

“Lay back down,” Weiss instructed, “You banged yourself up pretty badly when you fell last night.”

“I fell?”

“Yeah…” Weiss looked uncomfortable, “Um, during our argument.” 

“Oh.” 

Yang laid back in her bed, resting gently against her pillow. They sat in silence for a few moments.

“I didn’t mean it you know.” Weiss said quietly, looking out of the grimy windows, “What I said about Blake leaving.” 

“Weiss-”

“You were right. I didn’t know anything that happened. I lost my temper.” 

“Then why did you say it?” Yang asked. 

“I- I was still angry that you left too.” Weiss admitted, “Losing Blake was hard. Losing both of you was harder.”

It had never occured to Yang that Weiss had been affected much by her absence. She knew Ruby had shed countless tears and begged Yang to stay but Weiss had remained stoic throughout the ordeal, seemingly indifferent to the situation. But she clearly wasn’t.    

Yang pushed herself up again and grabbed Weiss into a hug. 

“I’ve missed you a lot.” Weiss whispered, returning the hug tightly. 

“I’m sorry.” Yang said, voice muffled by Weiss’ shoulder, “I know I hurt you both.”

They were interrupted by a sniffle. Ruby was standing in the doorway holding a pack of saltine crackers and a liter of gingerale, seemingly choked up by the scene before her. She dropped the items and rushed over, pulling both of them into another hug. Yang sunk into this one, closing her eyes and feeling the familiar embrace of her sister and closest friend. 

 

\---

They spent the rest of the day together, sightseeing the tourist traps of Vegas and reliving memories from their tours. They even stopped by the casino where Ruby accidently threw her drumsticks at a slot machine, starting a small electrical fire. There was still a stain on the carpet from the fire extinguisher. It was the happiest Yang had felt in months. It was almost like nothing had changed. Like the chunks missing from her heart had somehow been filled and it was finally beating again. 

“Oh yikes it’s almost five o’ clock.” Weiss said, glancing at her phone, “We have to be at the venue by six.” 

“Last chance to join us Yang.” Ruby said, flashing her best puppy eyes. Her fake nose was hanging slightly ajar.

“Thanks but the answer is still no.” Yang said, “I haven’t plucked a single string in almost two years. I’d be garbage.” 

“Oh I highly doubt that.” Weiss rolled her eyes, “They called you a guitar legend in more than one magazine.”

“Flattery.” Yang waved her hand casually but couldn’t stifle her pleased grin. 

“Well during your next soul searching trip into the desert, try to keep us updated on your location,” Weiss dug around in her bag and pulled out a black business card, “Or at least just call every once and awhile.” Yang took the card and put it in her pocket.

“I will.” She promised, crossing her heart with her finger.

After she said her goodbyes to Weiss and Ruby (with several more promises to call) Yang headed back to her RV. When she stepped inside, it struck her how quiet it was. Not a sound except for the soft shuffle of her boots. 

She had forgotten what it felt like to be lonely. 

Yang tossed her bag on the bed and bent down to grab an old case from underneath. She blew off the thick layer of dust and wiped the rest away with her hand. She popped the locks and lifted the top. Her guitar was as spotless as it was two years ago when she locked it up and hadn’t opened it since.  

“Hello beautiful.” Yang said softly to it, running a hand up and down the cherrywood neck. She strummed her fingers lightly over the strings. The guitar let out a mournful, neglected sound. Yang lifted it out of the case and fiddled with the knobs at the end until the guitar was much more on-key. 

Then she began to play. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to everyone who was waiting for this, I've been having some really bad computer trouble. So here's an extra long chapter. Thanks for reading!

Blake’s eyes popped open. For a moment she wasn’t sure where she was or what the hell was going on. Her heart was racing and jittery panic made her arms and legs twitch until the familiar scent of her favorite candle brought her to the present. 

It was morning, she was in her room, and she was safe. 

Blake groaned and rubbed her itching eyes with the heel of her palm, really feeling how exhausted her body was. The clock on her bedside table read 7:04am. An entire hour before her alarm was supposed to go off. She wasn’t thrilled about losing so much sleep but at least the adrenaline rush from her night terrors chased off any potential grogginess. There wasn’t much recollection from the dreams but Blake could faintly remember them involving a blue van and an angry balding man. The thought made her stomach drop in fear for reasons she couldn’t remember at all.

Sitting up, Blake let out a haggard yawn and ran a hand through her incredibly short, bubblegum pink hair which was probably sticking up in all directions. It was impossible to avoid bed head when Blake spent many nights thrashing around in her sheets. 

Well at least she had time for a shower.

Pushing herself off of the bed, Blake shuffled out of the room and into the hallway. She let out a frustrated sigh when she saw that the bathroom door was closed and steam poured out from underneath the bottom. 

“Sun.” She called, knocking her knuckles on the chipped paint, “How much longer are you going to be?” 

“Just hopped in.” Came her roommate's muffled reply. He sounded as tired as Blake felt. Blake frowned and now shuffled towards the tiny kitchen crammed alongside the living room. She grabbed a mug from the squeaky cabinets and poured a cup of coffee from the pot Sun must’ve made earlier. The bitterness was a nice wake-up call for tough mornings. After a few minutes of sipping, Blake’s cat ear twitched as she heard the water shut off in the bathroom. 

The door opened and the humidity in the apartment immediately tripled. 

“I needed that.” Sun sighed, walking into the kitchen in nothing but his boxers. His wet hair was plastered to the sides of his face.

“You’re dripping all over the floor.” Blake said, instinctively shifting her body away from his puddle, “Did you use your towel at all?”

“Towels are for squares.” He shrugged, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl, “Besides, I like my hair to dry natural. It looks better that way.”

“It usually looks like you got struck by lightning.” Blake said with a slight smirk.

“You’re one to talk.” Sun said back, gesturing at Blake’s wild hair with his half-eaten banana. She scowled at him and stalked off towards the bathroom while he laughed with his mouth full. For someone who worked nights, he sure had a lot of energy in the mornings. 

The bathroom was so steamy Blake couldn’t even see herself in the mirror. There was only a spot where Sun had wiped away the fog so he could check out his face. And then another spot where he could check out his abs. Blake rolled her eyes and twisted the tub faucet all the way hot, knowing most of the warm water was probably gone. She jumped into the lukewarm shower and rushed to get clean before the water turned to ice. 

_ Hey Ice Queen, don't make me give you….the  _ cold  _ shoulder.  _

The giggly voice bounced around in Blake’s head and she quickly shut off the shower. She grabbed a towel and rubbed her hair and ears until the voice was nothing but a faint, haunting echo. Most of the steam from Sun’s shower had dissipated and Blake was left to look at her own anxious expression. The dark circles under her tired eyes seemed to be getting worse. Not something she wanted to focus on today. She pulled on her shirt and jeans as quickly as she could and left the bathroom and its ghostly voices behind. 

The kitchen was empty which meant that Sun had probably gone to bed. A weak strip of sunlight filtered through the blinds, meaning it was time for Blake to get going. She couldn’t lose her reputation of never being late to work; it was basically all she had going for her. She grabbed her coffee from the table and headed out the front door. It was still early so the morning air was cool enough to enjoy the short trek to work. There were a few commuters walking the same sidewalk as Blake but none of them gave her more than a tired squint. Second glances were only reserved for her ears or the shocking pink of her hair.

Third glances were dangerous, but few and far between. She often did well at hiding in plain sight. 

The small record store where Blake worked was called Torchwick’s Turntables. The actual owner, Roman Torchwick, was in prison so Blake reported to his next in command; a woman named Neo who literally never said a word and only communicated through sticky notes. Blake used her key to open the front door, locking it back behind her. As usual, there was a sticky note plastered to the front desk computer waiting for her. 

_ “Unpack the new shipment in the back. Stock R&B and Jazz section. Neptune comes in at 10. Make sure he remembers to clock in.” _

Blake tossed the sticky note in the trash and headed through the cluttered aisles towards the stockroom. A massive stack of boxes that nobody bothered to sort were waiting for Blake in the corner. She sighed and tossed her keys and jacket on a nearby table, knowing she was going to be there for the long run. Before getting started, Blake grabbed one of the turntables from the shelf and put on one of her own records that she kept in the back for days like these. It was mostly acoustics that helped her stay focused on her work. 

She started tearing through the boxes, sorting the crisp new packages by genre. It was tempting to listen to some of the bands she had never heard of but usually she was able to fight the urge and put them in their respective stacks. Usually. She grabbed another box and tore open the top, breath hitching in her throat when she saw what it was. 

She knew that Weiss and Ruby had started a splinter group after RWBY broke up but she hadn’t expected a tiny store like this to carry such an expensive name. Most of their stock was more indie than most. Blake stared at the front cover. It was a black and white photo of Ruby and Weiss sitting on a broken down swing set. She wasn’t sure what the symbolism was supposed to be but the picture had a melancholy tone to it. She flipped it over and browsed some of the song titles on the back. She had to chuckle at the fourth song appropriately named  _ She Calls Me Ice Queen.  _ It made the voice in Blake’s head stir again. 

Other than that, most of the song titles were...sad. It seemed that Weiss and Ruby had started putting a lot more emotion into their music where RWBY had originally been about getting into trouble and sticking it to the man. She wondered how different this new, quiet style of music compared to the older, louder songs they used to write.     __

Morbid curiosity took ahold of Blake as she tore the protective cover from the case. She would pay Neo back for it later. She slipped the brand new record from the sleeve, noting that one side was bright red and the other an icy blue. Blake placed it gently on the turntable and set the needle down on the very end. It crackled for a second before it was replaced by Weiss softly humming along with the soft strum of a guitar. Hearing her closest friends’ voices after so long hit Blake like a bullet to the stomach. 

Ruby’s guitar joined in and Weiss took off singing her lyrics. Blake had been right, it was so much softer than the gritty rock tones that she used to sing. It was so...emotional and raw; almost like Weiss was pulling the first words she thought of directly from her heart. It was making Blake’s hands shake. She carefully lifted the needle and skipped ahead to  _ She Calls Me Ice Queen,  _ hoping it would be a change of pace _.  _

This one started of much more bouncy and light, much to Blake’s relief. This time Ruby was singing which was a surprise since she almost exclusively played the drums before. As the song played, she realized it was a love ballad that Ruby had written for Weiss. It made her chest twist painfully. 

“You know you’re not allowed to do that right?” 

Blake jumped so hard in surprise that she had bumped the turntable, knocking the record to the floor. 

“Neptune!” She yelped, “I didn’t hear you come in.” 

Her blue-haired co worker was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, looking down at the record on the floor.

“You never pegged me as a RWBY fan.” Neptune said, picking up the sleeve and flipping it over. 

“I’m not.” Blake said firmly, “I was just curious.” 

“Curious enough to piss off Neo?” He asked, still sweeping his eyes over the back. 

“It’s an acoustic album.” Blake shrugged, stuffing her still shaking hands in her pockets, “I like acoustic music. Anyway, it’s not that good so I guess I wasted my money.” 

“Let me be the judge of that.” Neptune said with a grin, putting the record back onto the turntable. He put the needle at a random point on the blue side this time and let the music play. Blake grit her teeth and tried to look annoyed as both Ruby and Weiss were singing this time. 

“We have work to do Neptune.” Blake said, grabbing a large box from the shelf. 

“You’re crazy, these girls are awesome.” Neptune said, ignoring her, “They have great musical chemistry. I do miss their old stuff though.”

Blake grimaced and started grabbing R&B albums from the box, trying to block out the mournful song that floated out of the speakers. Neptune let the record continue playing (despite Blake’s complaints) as he also began to unload boxes. Every moment of it was flooding more and more weight into Blake’s chest. She soon found her hands shaking so much that it was becoming difficult to hold her boxcutter straight. 

“Oh I guess that’s the end of it.” Neptune said as silence finally hit the room, “Well I don’t care what you say, I liked it.” 

“Congrats.” Blake rolled her eyes, “Can we please listen to something a little more cheerful?” 

“Aw that’s cute.” Neptune said, looking back down at the album and reading aloud, “‘This album is dedicated to our favorite stray cat and fiery dragon.’”

“That’s...great.” Blake said through her teeth, trying not to feel like her heart had just shattered into a billion guilty pieces.

_ It’s your fault. _

“Isn’t it funny that their bassist was a cat fanus  _ and  _ had the same name as you?” Neptune said with a huge smile, “Because I think that’s hilarious. What are the odds right?”

Blake sighed, hoping Neptune would never pay attention enough to connect those dots together. He was nice but he sure wasn’t the brightest. 

“Can we just get this done before Neo gets here?” Blake asked impatiently, gesturing to the massive amount of items that needed to be shelved, “I don’t want to get yelled at through post-it notes.”

“Fine fine.” Neptune said, loading up his arms with records, “But come on, it’s totally weird right? Don’t you ever wonder what happened to her?” 

Blake only answered with a shrug.  

 

\---

The rest of the day was uneventful. Neo came in around noon, (only nodding slightly at all of their hard work) and then went back to her office to send a mass amount of emails. They knew they wouldn’t see her again until closing time. Customers came and went, buying most of the records that Blake and Neptune spent all morning stocking which meant they would have to do it all over again the next morning. Business as usual. 

Finally at closing time, Neo finally emerged from her office and tossed Blake the keys to the shop which meant that they would be closing up. She waved goodbye and disappeared into the darkness of the street. Blake locked the door behind her with a satisfied huff. Working usually put her into a good mood. The morning had been forgotten. 

“Hey, did you see that girl with the red hair earlier?” Neptune called from behind the front desk. 

“The one wearing the Beacon Academy shirt?” Blake asked, vaguely recalling. 

“Yes,” Neptune said innocently, “You like that band don’t you?”

“...Yeah? So?” 

Neptune studied his fingernails.

“Seems like she would be your type don’t you think?” He said with a smug grin. 

“Wow you’re so right Neptune!” Blake said in a mockingly exuberant voice, “How about I look her up and ask her out? Then we can have a shotgun wedding where everthing is awesome and end up hating each other six months later and  _ then  _ get an expensive divorce where she leaves me as nothing more than a hollow shell of the woman I once was? Doesn’t that sound fun?” Neptune blinked. 

“Boy you have a morbid view on love.” He said, “Come on Blake I’m trying to help you out here.” 

“You’re only helping me because you want to bang my roommate.” Blake pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.

“He has a six pack, Blake!” Neptune cried, throwing up his arms, “A  _ six pack!”  _

“Well, rest assured you don’t need to get me a date in order to hook up with Sun.” Blake said, locking up the cash register, “You guys can go wild, as long as I’m not home that is.” 

“Great, you’re  _ always  _ home.” Neptune grumbled. Blake paused. 

“I am not!” She said, feeling offended, “I do stuff sometimes.” 

“You work and go grocery shopping.” Neptune shot back, “That doesn’t count.” Blake struggled for a come back. It really had been a long time since she had gone out and done something, especially since Sun had started working nights almost a year ago. 

“Ah-ha!” Neptune said, jabbing his finger towards her, “You can’t even think of the last time you went out and did something with people!” 

“Fine you caught me.” Blake said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, “I’m a loser. What are you, the Fun Police?” 

“But you don’t have to be a loser. At least for one night.” Neptune said after a moment with a scheming look on his face. 

“What are you up to?” Blake asked hesitantly. 

“Okay, next time that red-haired girl comes in, you ask her on a date.” Neptune said, “If she says yes, you get to be out of the house for the evening and I can casually drop by to say hello but you won’t be there but  _ Sun  _ will and-” 

“Wait are you trying to wingman me or yourself?” Blake interrupted. 

“Both of us!”        

They were both interrupted again by a knock at the door. It was the girl with the red hair.

“Oh my God the universe wants us to get laid!” Neptune cheered, looking like he was about to cry tears of joy. Blake smacked his shoulder. 

“We’re closed, I’m not opening it.” 

“Oh yes you are!” Neptune hissed, pushing Blake towards the door, “You’re going to ask her to do something fun with you so I can make a move on your hot monkey roommate!” Blake shot him one more nasty look before turning to unlock the door. 

“Hi can I help you?” Blake asked. Her ears perked in surprise when she noticed the girl was also a faunus. 

“Yeah sorry I know you guys are closed but I think I left my wallet on one of the shelves.” The girl said apologetically, “Mind if I take a look?” 

“Yeah come on in!” Neptune called from behind the desk, “We don’t mind!” Blake reluctantly opened the door wider to let the girl in. 

“I’ll be quick I promise!” The girl said, stepping inside. She headed over to the acoustic section and began to browse. Neptune gestured frantically at Blake to follow her. 

“So you think you left it over here?” Blake asked, hoping she could speed up the search so she could go home. 

“Yeah I remember putting it down to look at a White Fang album.” The girl said. Blake could feel Neptune’s eyes drilling into the back of her head. 

“You like the White Fang?” Blake forced herself to ask. 

“Oh yeah, they’re one of my favorite bands.” She said, moving aside a few records, “I saw them live a couple years ago in Vegas. Changed my life.” 

“Oh wow I’m jealous.” Blake sighed, actually feeling a twinge of real jealousy, “I would’ve killed to be there.” 

“Funny you say that.” The girl said smoothly, “They’re actually playing a show pretty near to here.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I have an extra ticket for Saturday if you want to come.” 

Blake was speechless for a moment. She really didn’t want to go. Not in the slightest. She could feel Neptune’s eyes drilling deeper.

“That sounds like a lot of fun.” Blake said with a polite smile she hoped looked genuine.

“Great!” The girl grinned, “Oh look there’s my wallet!” She reached up to the top shelf and grabbed it, “Here’s my number. I’m Ilia by the way.”

“Blake.” 

“Well Blake, I’ll see you Saturday.” She winked and exited the shop. There was a moment of silence while both Neptune and Blake tried to process what just happened. 

“Oh my God we’re  _ both  _ going to get laid!” Neptune cried joyfully. 

Blake sighed, looking down at the phone number Ilia had scribbled on the back of an old recept. She had added a little heart at the end of it. It made Blake feel nothing.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's pretend that everyone needs glasses and can't immediately tell who Blake is yeah? Yeah.
> 
> gummy-the-ghost.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

“Shit.” 

Yang sighed for the hundredth time that night. She unwound the broken string from the guitar and tossed aside into the pile of the many others that had met the same fate. She dug around in the plastic bag at her feet and fished out another high E string and began to attach it to the freshly polished neck. She twisted the knob and thumbed at the string until it’s unnaturally low twang rose to its proper pitch. She gave a hard strum. That sounded right.

“Okay let’s give this another try.” Yang said to herself. She began to pick gently at the strings, humming softly along to no particular tune. It felt weird at first, holding a guitar in her hands after so long, and even weirder when she began to play. The notes came naturally but the movement in her fingers did not. So many years of neglect had made them incredibly stiff like they were when she had picked up a guitar for the first time in middle school. Yang attempted an A sharp but her pinky refuse to reach the correct fret and the note fell flat. She let out a frustrated growl, flexing her throbbing hand. 

Yang put aside her guitar and settled down into her chair, looking at the city lights on the dark desert horizon. She had left Vegas behind and headed south with no particular destination in mind. There almost never was a destination to begin with but for some reason she had a feeling this was the right direction. For what, she had no earthly idea. She reflexively reached over to turn on her radio, only to remember that it still lay shattered in a trash can inside the RV. It was probably time to upgrade anyway, that old radio had been ancient.

Yang settled lower into her chair, now annoyed by the near silence of the desert. The hollow wind was the only thing that made any sound some nights. It felt lonely. She absentmindedly reached over and ran her fingers over the strings of her guitar just to fill the void in her ears. The gentle melody was soothing and it reminded Yang of how she used to feel so high strung on bad days with the only cure being a few hours of gentle guitar. Except now it felt like a source of frustration. Yang knew she wouldn’t be as good as she had been after not playing for so long but somehow she hoped she would be. Not the case. 

The concept of losing progress only fueled Yang to keep trying. She grabbed the guitar from the sand and positioned her fingers on the neck once again. Her wrist ached from overuse but she ignored it, tapping up and down the frets as she played an old RWBY song she knew by heart. It seemed a little easier this time but she also knew the soreness in her hands was only going to hinder the process. It was time to call it a night. 

Yang packed up her chair and carefully placed the guitar back into its worn out case, sliding it under the bed. She would have to travel into the city tomorrow and look for a new radio. Or even maybe something different. Yang felt an odd stir in her chest as she lay down on top of her sheets, like she was about to enter a new era of her life. Change was hovering menacingly over her, but still she slept peacefully that night. 

\---

“No, a  _ radio.”  _ Yang reiterated, feeling slightly frustrated, “That is not a radio that’s a bluetooth speaker.” The person behind the counter at the electronics store in town seemed so confused at Yang’s simple request and kept trying to offer her streaming devices. 

“Ma’am I can assure you that this product is much better.” He said, pointing to the futuristic looking sphere, “It connects to every music streaming service available.” 

“I don’t want every song in the universe,” Yang rolled her eyes, “I just want something that picks up nearby radio waves. A  _ radio. _ Do you have one or not?”

“Well if you insist on living in the 20th century you can check the back.” The clerk said dryly, taking the sphere off of the counter carefully, “Other than that I can’t help you.” He disappeared behind a door and left Yang to wander around the shop, picking up items that looked like radios but were actually just speakers.

“What a bunch of junk.” She grumbled, putting the box back on the shelf. Nobody appreciated the classics. She felt another odd stir in her chest like she had the night before. Maybe a radio actually wasn’t what she needed, or even wanted. No, it was something different. She thought to the massive storage of old records she kept in the back of the RV.

A record player. 

Yang snapped her fingers and started to look at the shiny new turntables displayed in the front of the shop since vinyl was coming back in style. No, this wasn’t right either. It didn’t feel authentic. 

_ God, now I’m acting like a music snob, _ she thought to herself. 

“Hey is there a record shop around here?” Yang called to the man behind the counter. 

“Depends on how ‘vintage’ you’re looking for.” He answered in a suspiciously mocking tone. 

“I want something old and beat up.”

The man grimaced. 

“There’s a place a few blocks from here that sells what you’re looking for.” He said, scribbling down an address on a notepad, “You’ll find your...used items there.” Yang studied the paper. 

“Torchwick’s Turntables? How tacky.” Yang said disdainfully, “Well if you’re sure, I guess I’ll check it out.” 

“Oh yes, please do.” The man urged, seemingly trying to get Yang out of his shop before she could pester him with more odd requests. She stood on the sidewalk and plugged the address into the GPS on her phone. Not too bad of a walk, if only it wasn’t so hot. Adjusting the hat on her head, Yang began to follow the phone’s instructions around the corner. The city wasn’t huge but it wasn’t small either. She noticed there was a large amount of tourist hanging around since it was located very close to Vegas. Many of them barely spared her a second glance. 

“My kind of city.” Yang muttered under her breath as she rounded the final corner. The shop wasn’t anything impressive. It looked like any other hole-in-the-wall hipster hangout but Yang figured the man who pointed her here knew what he was talking about. If he was wrong, well, Yang had backup plans for that too. She shrugged and pushed open the glass door. The shop was much bigger on the inside and records covered almost every inch of that space. Even massive bins full of them sat by the door with a discount sticker slapped over the front. Yang whistled, actually feeling a little overwhelmed. She didn’t even know where to begin looking.

“Can I help you find something?” 

Yang turned towards to front desk and stopped. 

She stared.

She was frozen in place for a split second in shock.

The employee had blue hair. 

Yang let out her breath. God this place  _ was  _ hipster. 

“Uh yeah, I’m actually looking for a record player. Like an older one.” Yang said, “I have a bunch of old records in my RV that I never get to use.” 

“We have a bunch of refurbished ones over by the blues section.” The clerk said, pointing to the back corner of the shop, “Yell if you need any help. I’m Neptune.” 

“Neptune.” Yang repeated, letting the name roll off of her tongue, “Is that a nickname or…?” 

Neptune looked slightly embarrassed.

“Uh no, my parents were  _ really  _ into mythology.” He clarified with a sheepish grin, “I dyed my hair to go with it.”

“Well it’s a good look for you.” Yang said, “Very suiting.” She left a slightly pleased looking Neptune and headed to the corner where a few rows of very old record players sat covered in dust. 

“Too clunky, too broken, too green.” Yang mumbled as she browsed through them. They were nice, but none of them really stood out to Yang. She knew she was being picky but there was just something missing from them that she just couldn’t figure out. As she stood over the players, she realized that music was playing from somewhere inside the shop. It was some lame acoustic band but she followed the sound with her eyes until they stopped on the source. It was a record player different from all of the rest. It was.. almost familiar to Yang but she couldn’t figure out why. It didn’t look any more remarkable than the rest but it had an allure she couldn’t resist.  

Yang walked over and took a moment to listen. The sound quality was so perfect as well. This was the record player she was looking for. No other one would do. 

“Hey Neptune.” Yang called over the shelves, “I want to buy this.” She heard a chair squeak and footsteps over the hardwood floors until Neptune rounded the corner. He looked to where Yang was excitedly pointing. 

“Oh yikes, that’s not for sale.” He said apologetically, “This one actually belongs to the girl that works here.” Yang’s face fell.

“Do you think she would sell it to me?” Yang asked, hoping she wasn’t being too pushy, “I’d be willing to pay any price she thinks is fair.” 

“I dunno.” Neptune pursed his lips uncomfortably, “She’s really attached to this thing. I think it’s something sentimental.”

“Sentimental huh?” Yang said gruffly, “I guess I get it.” 

“Was there one along the wall that caught your eye?” Neptune asked hopefully, “This model right here is actually from the 70’s  _ and  _ it’s in great shape!” 

“Yeah it’s...nice.” Yang said indifferently, glancing back over to the forbidden record player. The music had stopped. A hand reached out from the back room, flipping the record over and resetting the needle. The music started back up again. 

“Can I talk to her?” Yang asked, trying to sound casual and not like a desperate lunatic. Maybe she could use her charm to convince this girl to sell the player as a last attempt. Neptune shrugged, looking defeated. 

“I can ask,” He suggested, “But I doubt that’ll get you anywhere.” He turned and walked into the back room. Yang could hear their hushed conversation but couldn’t make out any specific words. Neptune reappeared, looking uncomfortable. 

“It’s not for sale.” He said flatly, “Sorry, she seemed pretty adamant.” Yang sighed, feeling incredibly disappointed. She felt a cosmic pull to this little machine but it was off limits. Life was cruel sometimes. 

“It’s okay. Thanks for asking anyway. I’ll take this one instead.” She pointed at the record player Neptune was raving about, only buying it for a way to make up for wasting his time. 

“Trust me, you won’t be disappointed with this one.” He said, perking up, “It was in such good condition I barely had to fix it up at all.”  

“That’s awesome man,” Yang said, once again glancing back towards the item she actually desired. She caught a glimpse of someone adjusting the needle. She couldn’t see her face but the girl had shockingly pink hair and was apparently a cat faunus. Yang chuckled to herself, knowing how stubborn cat faunus could be sometimes. She didn’t blame the girl for it. 

The record player ended up being almost $200 but Yang didn’t care. All that mattered was now she had something to play her old records on, universe be damned. 

“So what kind of stuff are you going to blast on this thing?” Neptune asked as he wound the record player in bubble wrap. 

“Oh you know, some classic stuff.” Yang shrugged, “I’ve got some old STRQ, a little bit of Beacon Academy. That sort of thing.” 

“Nice!” Neptune said, eyes lighting with delight, “We buy used records too if you ever want to sell.” 

“Not likely,” Yang said with a smirk, “Those things are like treasure.” 

“Well if you change your mind you know where to find us.” Neptune said, handing Yang the bag with her record player wrapped up snugly inside. He also dropped in a business card, “Just in case.” 

“Will do.” Yang saluted him, “I’ll see you around, Neptune.” 

She walked out into the summer heat, sparing one last glance at the record player on the table. 

Yeah, universe be damned.              


	5. Chapter 5

Blake peaked her head around the corner as soon as she heard the jingle of the front door opening, meaning the customer had left the shop. She looked left and right just to make sure they were actually gone. The only part of them she saw was a quick flash of blonde hair turning the corner down the street.

“What the hell was that about?” She asked Neptune as she walked up to the front desk.

“Beats me,” Neptune shrugged, typing some numbers into the computer, “That chick seemed really desperate to get her hands on your record player but I talked her into buying another one instead.” 

“Asshole.” Blake growled, looking disdainfully out at the street where she saw the glimpse of blonde locks. Music snobs drove Blake absolutely crazy with their entitlement. 

“What’s the big deal?” Neptune asked, “That lady was ready to spend a fortune to get that thing. She would’ve probably paid off your rent for the next six months.”   

Blake’s ears flattened in anger. That customer had a lot of nerve and it made her unreasonably furious. She didn’t care how much money they had offered, it wouldn’t change her mind. 

“The  _ big deal  _ is that record player is really special to me.” Blake said, crossing her arms and scowling, “I don’t appreciate some stranger trying to bribe it from me with their money.” 

“What’s so special about it?”

“Huh?” 

“The record player,” Neptune pointed to it, “Why is it so special to you. It looks like a piece of junk.” 

Blake gulped. She hadn’t expected Neptune to ask questions. She didn’t want to get into any type of specifics as to why she was so attached to the record player, it would reveal a lot of personal things she didn’t want him to know. But he was looking at her with a burning curiosity and not answering would be strange. 

“It...was a gift from someone.” Blake explained, very carefully picking her words, “Someone that I was very close with.” Her stomach twisted, making her feel slightly sick. 

“So, do you still talk to this person?” Neptune asked, picking up that this was probably a sensitive subject for Blake. 

“No.” Was all she replied, looking down at the floorboards. It was quiet for a moment as they both struggled to come up with a way to fill the silence. 

“Say no more.” Neptune said, clasping his hands together, “Because we need to talk about something else!” 

Blake stared at him blankly. 

“Your date on Saturday!” He yelled in exasperation, “We need to get you prepared!” 

“Get me prepared?” Blake asked incredulously, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Now it was Neptune’s turn to choose his words very carefully. 

“Now don’t take this the wrong way, Blake my dear friend.” He cleared his throat, “But you don’t seem enthusiastic about it at all. Also your clothes.”

“My clothes?” Blake tugged at her jacket, “I dress fine.” Neptune tsked sadly at her. 

“Sure your clothes are fine, but you  _ look _ like you work at a record store.” He said, “You need to look like  _ Blake.”  _

“If I’m being honest, I don’t even want to go on this date.” Blake groaned, “I’m only doing it for you. And Sun too because he needs to get laid.” 

“Don’t think of it that way.” Neptune scolded, “Think of it as a way to meet a hot new girlfriend! This could turn into something big!” 

Blake bit her lip and furrowed her brow. The thought of a relationship still made her squirm like a little child afraid of getting cooties. It had been years but she still felt like she wasn’t ready for this. Some small part of her was desperately clinging to the past, hoping it would somehow resurface into the present. 

_ Don’t be ridiculous.  _ Blake scolded herself,  _ She wouldn’t even look at you after what you did.  _

“Blake.” Neptune said seriously, rising from his chair, “I’ve known you for almost a year now and I’ve never seen you even look at another girl. Even the ones that are openly eye-fucking you.”

Blake blushed deep red. 

“That’s never happened don’t exaggerate.” She said, feeling flustered. 

“It happens almost every day.” Neptune said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “You just never pay any attention to it.” 

“I’m not interested in finding my soulmate in this shitty record store.” Blake said callously, “Look, I’ll go on this date with Ilia but that’s it. After that I want you to leave my love life alone. It's already fucked up enough.” 

Neptune looked taken aback by Blake’s outburst and she couldn't help but feel guilty for shouting at him. He was only trying to help after all. And it wasn’t his fault that she was so damaged that going on a simple date was enough to send her into an emotional tailspin. Blake sighed and felt her anger fizzle out. 

“I’m sorry.” She said, patting Neptune’s arm, “I’m going to try and enjoy Saturday, I promise.” 

“I just want you to be happy.” Neptune sighed, “You can’t spend the rest of your life hung up on whatever happened in the past.” 

Blake gave a sad smile. Neptune underestimated how good she was at doing just that.

“I’m going to go finish stocking the jazz section.” 

“Well if things don’t work out with Ilia, that lady trying to buy your record player was  _ super _ hot.” He called after her, “Just in case you need a back up plan.” 

Blake paused mid-step and looked back at him over her shoulder. 

“I don’t date blondes.” 

 

\---

Even though Blake had promised Neptune that she would try to have fun on Saturday night, she was absolutely dreading it; like one would do for a major surgery. She spent the rest of the week hoping Ilia would text her to cancel or just forget about it completely. But like the inevitable flow of time, Friday rolled around and Blake received a text from Ilia confirming the time and place of their date for the following night. All of Blake’s hopes of bailing went right out of the window as she texted back expressing fraudulent excitement. 

It was terrible really. Ilia seemed so nice and genuinely excited for the time they were going to spend together. Blake felt downright cruel for leading her on. But she knew she would be on Neptune’s permanent shit list if she decided to back out and ruin his chances of hooking up with Sun. There was a selfish part of her that didn’t care. She could easily text Ilia, tell her to take a hike, and instantly be free of this emotional burden. But Blake was a better person than that and would sooner take the hit than do something so wicked to her friends. And to Ilia for that matter. A nice girl like that at least deserved a kinder let down. 

Blake barely slept that night. Nightmares of every disaster possible plagued her numerous attempts of restful sleep. She tossed and turned for hours but peace never came. Eventually she threw her blankets back in ill-tempered exhaustion and stalked to the kitchen for some water. She ran a hand through her messy hair as she took tired sips of freezing water. There was nothing to be so freaked out over. It was going to be fun. Blake grit her teeth at the thought of her even kissing Ilia at the end of the night. It felt so wrong in her head that she had to take a moment to clear her thoughts.

Then there was the briefest flash of Yang in Ilia’s place. 

Blake gasped and almost dropped her glass. It made her her heart pound and breath hitch in a way that wasn’t completely unpleasant. She buried her face in her hands in shame. She was never going to move past this if her brain kept pulling dirty tricks on her in the middle of the night. All she could think about now was the familiar tug of Yang’s teeth on her own lips. 

“Fuuuuckkkk…” Blake groaned in disgust, grinding her teeth together. She should be imagining these things about  _ Ilia.  _ Why was it such a hard concept for her brain to grasp. 

_ Because Ilia isn’t the one you want.  _ Her brain answered for her. And it was right. She slammed the water glass down on the counter and stomped back to her bedroom, knowing sleep probably wouldn’t come especially after that particular mental image. 

And she was right. By the time the sun rolled up over the trees, Blake sat ragged on the side of her bed feeling like her body weighed a thousand pounds. She stood with great difficulty and dragged her feet towards the kitchen, grabbing a mug from the cabinet and putting it under the coffee maker. Well, her exhaustion was at least drowning out the jitters about the upcoming night ahead of her. There was a slight tingle chest when she thought about it, but it was only slight. 

The front door rattled as a key entered the top lock and Sun came dragging in looking just as tired as Blake. He tossed his jacket and keys onto the couch. He gave her a brief glance, then threw himself down alongside them. 

“Why do you look so tired?” His muffled voice floated up from the couch cushion.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Blake grunted, “Tough night?” 

Sun grunted back in response. 

“I’m going to sleep for a thousand years right on this couch.”

Blake nervously ran her finger around the rim of her coffee mug, debating whether or not to tell Sun about her plans for the evening. 

“I have a date tonight.” She finally choked out, hoping Sun had fallen asleep and didn’t hear her. But his head immediately popped up in shock. 

“A  _ date??”  _ He asked in bewilderment, “Since when do you go on dates?” 

“A girl asked me to go see a concert with her.” Blake said, not looking at him, “So I said yes.” 

“But what about…” He paused, “Y’know...Yang?” 

“Sun,” Blake warned. He was the only person that knew her secret. He was also the only person she could trust with it. Blake and Sun had a long history of friendship, and he was the one she fled to after things in RWBY fell apart. 

“I know, I know. Touchy subject, but I’m serious.” He said, sitting upright, “Are you sure you’re ready for this. I mean you were super messed up after...y’know, all that.” 

Blake couldn’t tell him the truth without ruining things for Neptune, but on the other hand she hated lying to her closest friend. A little white lie wouldn’t kill him though, and besides, after tonight none of this would matter anyway. 

“I think this will help me move on.” Blake said confidently, “I’ve spent too much time moving past what happened between me and... Yang.” The name still rolled off her tongue like it was being dragged through razors. 

He shot Blake a puzzled look as if waiting for her to say that she was just pulling a prank on him. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his tail. 

“So who is this mystery girl?” He asked, narrowing his eyes distrustfully, “Is she cool?” 

“Her name is Ilia and she's actually a faunus like us.” Blake said calmly, “Other than that, I don't know much about her.” 

Sun perked up at this.   

“She's a faunus?” He asked excitedly, “What kind?” 

Blake paused. Now that she thought of it, she had no idea kind of faunus Ilia was. She had some strange markings on her face but that didn't give away much.

“Uh, I think it's some kind of reptile.” Blake guessed, “Like a lizard?” 

“Boy you really don't know much about this girl do you?” Sun frowned. 

“No not really.” Blake bowed her head, “But that's what dates are for right? Getting to know the other person?” 

“I suppose.” He said distantly, still seeming to be thinking hard. Clearly he had some misgivings about the whole thing and he had every right to. After Blake fled from RWBY and found Sun living in this remote town in Nevada, he saw the worst of the aftermath. She spent days in her room, crying and refusing to eat or sleep. Even after that passed, it took a long time for her to be okay again. He clearly was afraid this relationship might suffer the same fate. 

“Sun don't look so troubled.” Blake said with a nervous chuckle. 

“I just want to make sure you're doing this for the right reasons.” He said seriously, “Don't force yourself to do something if you're not ready.” 

“It's been a long time.” Blake said, “It's time for me to move on from...Yang.” 

It was half a lie and half truth. Blake knew it was time to move on but she also knew that she wasn't anywhere near ready to make the plunge with someone new. Sun sat back against the couch cushions and ran his hand through his spiky hair, still looking troubled. 

“I know!” He sat up quickly, “How about I follow you around at the concert tonight! That way if this Ilia girl tries anything funny I can take her out assassin style!” He punched his palm with a wicked grin on his face and Blake knew he was imagining the scenario in his head. 

“How about I just text you if it gets weird.” Blake said with a grin, “No kicking required.” 

“That's less fun but it also works.” He shrugged, “Guess I'll have to find something to do tonight.” 

“Oh I'm sure you'll find something.” Blake fought a smile as she walked back into the kitchen. 


	6. Chapter 6

“I didn't want you to hear that shake in my voice my pain is my own!” Yang yelled along with the song blasting from her brand new record player. Well, brand new to her at least. She hooked it up as soon as she made it back to her RV and immediately put on some old STRQ records that she dug out of the storage bin. The music was just as good as she remembered. 

Yang took the last sip from her beer can and crushed it in her palm, tossing it aside with the many others that lay littered in the sand. She immediately grabbed another and popped it open. The evening was unusually cool but it felt nice after the sweltering heat wave that had been hanging over the entire city for the last few weeks. 

Yang continued humming along with the music, steadily draining her can until it to lay crushed alongside the others. Her head swam slightly and her whole body felt as electric as the city lights glowing in the distance. When she reached down for another, her hand came up empty. 

“Oh no way!” Yang groaned, “How am I out already?” She sat back in her chair and pouted. How was she supposed to enjoy her music without booze? She turned back towards the horizon. Well, going into the city for a bit wouldn't hurt. Maybe she could even find something to do for the night instead of getting drink by herself like a loser.  

Yang hopped into the driver's seat and cranked the RV engine until it finally sputtered to life. She rolled over the sand onto the main highway, following the signs until she was downtown. She parked the RV by an organic grocery store and started down the sidewalk, spotting a liquor store tucked away in a shopping center down the street. The sidewalk was mildly crowded and many people were hanging out in front of bars with their drinks in their hands. It was very urban. 

Yang pulled the squeaky front door open and waved a hand at the front clerk who greeted her. She headed over to the beer fridge and took a few minutes to browse the local brands which usually tasted a little better than big names. She decided on one called King Taijitu and headed up to the front counter to wait in line. The lady at the front of the line seemed to be having some trouble with her card so Yang let her eyes wander the around the store while they got it sorted out. She spied a poster taped to the front of the counter. It looked like an advertisement for some upcoming event. Upon closer inspection, Yang saw that it was for a concert happening that night. 

_ The White Fang with special guest Radical Reform. _

She’d never heard of the second band but Yang loved the White Fang. Mostly because Blake loved them first but she still listened to them from time to time. The concert started in about an hour and didn’t seem to be far from where the liquor store was located. Yang weighed the pros and cons of actually going to this concert in her head. There weren’t many downsides.  

Making a snap decision, Yang put the six pack on a nearby shelf and grabbed the address slip from the bottom of the paper. She could use a bit of live music for her Saturday night. And besides, concerts always had a bar.

 

\---

 

Blake stood anxiously outside of the venue, foot tapping and knees slightly shaking. Ilia hadn’t shown up yet and Blake couldn’t decide if she was happy or scared about it. She kept her face slightly tucked behind the collar of her jacket just in case there were some RWBY fans hanging around to see the White Fang. Not that they would probably recognize her now, but it was an old habit that Blake found very hard to break. 

“Hey!” 

Blake’s ear twitched at the sound coming from her left. Ilia was waving at her from down the sidewalk, giant grin across her face. Blake swallowed dryly. This was it. She waved back with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, the jitters in her stomach becoming more and more uncomfortable. 

“Hope you weren’t waiting long.” Ilia said, “My printer wasn’t cooperating with me.” Her laugh was so sweet sounding. 

“No, I just got here a few minutes ago.” Blake lied, knowing she had panicked and arrived thirty minutes earlier than she needed to. She had to admit that Ilia looked really nice. Her red hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wore a denim vest covered in numerous patches. It was a very punkish look that Blake couldn’t help but feel drawn to. 

Ilia fished around in her bag and pulled out two pieces of paper. 

“All ready to go!” She said excitedly, handing one to Blake, “We don’t have to wait in line with all those other scrubs.” She pointed to the ticket line now wrapped all the way around the building. They handed the bouncer their tickets and headed through the door. 

The inside of the venue was not what Blake was expecting at all. The walls and floor were painted completely black and the place was very dimly lit, most of the light coming from neon signs advertising different kinds of alcohol. The stage was in the far right corner right across from the bar where most of the crowd was currently spending their time before the show started. A majority of them were faunus. 

“Have you ever been here?” Ilia asked, sensing Blake’s awe of her surroundings. 

“No, I haven’t had much time for sightseeing since I moved here.” Blake said, particularly enjoying the large mural of a wolf faunus shredding guitar painted on the wall behind the stage. 

Then it clicked. 

“Is this a faunus bar?” Blake asked in surprise, the decor now making much more sense.

“Bingo.” Ilia laughed, “Why else would the White Fang be playing here?” Blake also let out a sheepish laugh as they took a couple of seats at the bar. The bartender was a tall and muscular faunus with giant bull horns and a large gold ring studded in his nose. He smiled at them and asked for their drink orders. Ilia immediately requested a beer so Blake followed suit despite not caring much for the taste of it. She didn’t want to seem like a weenie, it would be a terrible first impression. She took a small sip and fought back a grimace. Yep, still disgusting. Ilia had already drained half of her drink in a few gulps, sighing contently. Blake nearly yelped in surprise when Ilia’s skin flushed bright purple from the top of her forehead down to her feet.  

“This place has great craft beer.” She grinned, “My friends and I used to hang out here every Friday night and just get plastered to good music.” 

Blake was too shocked to respond, only staring blankly at Ilia’s sudden color change. She looked confused at Blake’s silence for a moment before seeming to catch a glimpse of her hands. 

“Oh!” She laughed, skin fading back to its original color, “Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you, sometimes it just happens.” 

“You’re a chameleon faunus?” Blake asked, finally putting two and two together. 

“Yep!” Ilia said proudly, turning the same shade of Blake’s pink hair, “I knew I was forgetting to tell you something.” 

“That’s very unique.” Blake commented as Ilia went through every color of the rainbow before turning back to normal color again. 

“It makes blending in super easy.” She said, taking another sip of her drink which was almost empty. Blake followed suit, the bitter taste of her beer starting to make her stomach ache more than it already was from the nerves. The venue was starting to fill up as the show came closer to starting. The band was on the stage tuning their instruments and testing microphones. Blake recognized the lead singer who she had met when RWBY was touring in the northeast. She hoped he wouldn’t recognize her as well.

“So what do you do for a living?” Blake asked Ilia to fill the moment of silence between them. Ilia shrugged. 

“I’m the manager at some organic grocery store,” She said nonchalantly, “Nothing super special. It pays okay too.” 

Blake was saved from having to force more conversation when the White Fang all came on stage and greeted the cheering crowd. She even felt a twinge of excitement of being able to see her favorite band live from the crowd instead of hearing them while waiting backstage. Ilia pulled Blake by the hand into the crowd which was buzzing with anticipation. The drummer smacked his sticks together three times and the rest of the band slammed down hard on their instruments, starting their first song of the night. 

Despite being very introverted, Blake felt alive with the energy of the wild crowd and the music. She jumped to the songs and screamed the lyrics she knew by heart, not caring if anyone was watching her. She didn’t even care or really notice that she kept brushing hands with Ilia who was also jumping and yelling. All Blake knew was the sounds flowing throughout her entire body like an electric current. After about four more songs, the White Fang left the stage for a thirty minute intermission. Blake was breathless and covered in sweat but she felt invigorated.

“That was incredible!” She raved as she ordered another drink from the bartender, “I can’t believe how good they are live!” 

“Right?” Ilia’s eyes were lit up with excitement, “Those guys really know how to put on a good show.” She reached a hand over and placed it on Blake’s knee. Immediately the warning bells began to blare in Blake’s head. She was trying not to panic as she tried to figure how to react to Ilia’s unwanted touch. Luckily she didn’t have to. A deer faunus who must’ve recognized Ilia came over and greeted her as if they were very good friends. Their conversation was muffled as Blake’s body was still in fight or flight mode. 

“Sorry I can’t, I’m actually here with Blake tonight.” Ilia said to her friend apologetically. Blake tuned back into the conversation when she heard her name. 

“Oh no it’s okay.” She said, standing up from the barstool, “I actually have to use the restroom anyway if you want to go say hello to your friends.”

“It’ll only be a minute.” Ilia said, winking and putting her hand on Blake’s shoulder before following the deer faunus into the crowd. Blake shuddered and headed to the bathroom, shutting herself in a stall that would be considered less than adequately clean in a finer establishment. She took a minute to compose herself. It was just a flirty touch, nothing else. She could handle it. The hysteria in Blake’s chest slowly fizzled out and was ignited into anger at herself for being so ridiculous about nothing.

“You always do this.” She growled under her breath, slamming open the stall and walking back to bar where Ilia was still nowhere in sight. Knowing it would be impossible to track her down in this crowd, Blake took her seat and ordered just a water this time, not wanting to get too drunk and sloppy. She took a few sips and felt the cold water douse the fury in her chest. All she knew now is that she really wanted to go home and curl up under her covers, nice and safe. 

Blake swiveled around on the chair, accidently bumping elbows with the person next to her. 

“Sorry.” She said quickly. 

“S’okay.” The woman shrugged, obviously drunk. Her wild blonde curls hid most of her face. Blake looked fixedly at her for a second. The woman must have sensed this because she turned her chair and looked Blake right in the face with a lopsided grin. 

“Like what you see?” She asked coyly, shooting a wink with those lilac eyes. 

Blake’s water cup slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor. The sound of it shattering was drowned out by the White Fang starting up their show again. 

It was Yang.

It wasn’t Yang.

But it  _ was  _ Yang.                  

Blake’s throat immediately clenched so tight she couldn’t even make a sound of surprise. There’s no way this was happening right now. The odds were too slim, the chance and probability was impossible. But here they were, staring at each other at a bar in a rundown faunus bar in a random town in Nevada. The girl she had spent so many days and nights agonizing over while simultaneously hoping she’s never see again. What were the fucking odds. 

“Y-Yang? How? I don’t-?” Blake stuttered, feeling utterly blindsided.  

“Blake.” Yang said suddenly, “I haven’t dreamt about you in a long time.” She chuckled darkly and took a sip of her drink which seemed to be pure liquor. Blake’s heart hammered against her chest and she realized that Yang was so drunk she thought she was hallucinating. She seemed so...dispirited, so much more lukwarm than the fiery person Blake once knew and loved so dearly. 

“It’s funny.” Yang continued as if this image of Blake she was seeing couldn’t speak, “I’ve thought of so many different things to say to you once we finally met again.” 

She lifted her glass and drained it.

“But now that you’re actually here, I can’t remember any of it.” She turned and looked Blake in the eye with a broken down smile, “Not a goddamn thing.” There was silence between them as the band continued playing in the background. Blake was so speechless and Yang was so drunk, none of it felt real. Maybe Yang was right. Maybe it was a dream. Both of them could be lost in some kind of stupor, but they still somehow managed to find each other in the same nightmare. 

“Blake,” Yang said again, wobbling on her chair, “I’m sorry.” She put her head down on the counter and was out cold. The words hit Blake like a brick to the head. Just when she thought she had patched her heart back together, she felt it break back into a million shards.

Yang blamed herself. For everything.

“It wasn’t your fault you idiot.” Blake whispered, voice breaking as much as her heart. 

“Blake!” 

It was Ilia fighting her way through the crowd. Blake had completely forgotten about her in the shock. 

“Ilia.” She said weakly, throat still feeling like it was being throttled. She was fighting back a sob. 

“Whoa too much to drink. And they say humans can hold their liquor.” She laughed, looking at Yang passed out on the bar, “Come on the band wants us to come backstage!” She grabbed Blake’s arm and tried to bring her along but Blake gently broke from her grasp. 

“I can’t.” She said, trying to keep the shake from her voice, “This is my...friend and I need to take her home.” 

“Your friend?” Ilia looked suspicious, “I didn’t know you had friends here. You didn’t mention anyone.”  

“I-I didn’t know she was here and I think she needs my help,” Blake struggled to come up with words. Her brain felt like it was malfunctioning. Ilia’s eyes narrowed as if she had just figured something out. Her skin turned a dark red. 

“Y’know Blake, if you didn’t want to go on a date with me that’s fine.” Ilia said, sounding very upset, “You could’ve just said no instead of making up some crazy story.”

“I’m not lying.” Blake pleaded, “I swear I just saw her here when I came out of the bathroom.” 

“Whatever,” Ilia crossed her arms, “If you want to help this random lady just to get away, be my guest. See ya Blake.” She stalked off into the crowd, leaving Blake to decide what to do next. She was terrified of touching Yang, fearing that she would disappear or turn into dust, thus ending this dream and forcing Blake back into the reality that she was alone. Blake carefully placed a hand down on Yang’s shoulder. She did not turn into dust. 

Blake gave a sigh of relief and wrapped Yang’s arm around her shoulders, lifting her from the stool. 

“Wuz’goin on?” Yang slurred, looking around blearily. 

“Where’s your car?” Blake asked as she practically dragged Yang from the venue. Her familiar scent was so distracting, even if it was tinged with the smell of whiskey. 

“RV.” Yang said, head slumping to the side, “Back alley.” Blake had no idea what that meant. She looked left and right down the street and spied a bumper sticking out from behind a wall. Sure enough, it was an old, beat up RV that made Blake’s ears go back in disgust. 

“This it?” Blake asked again. Yang stared at it and then broke into a wide, drunken smile.

“Home sweet home.” She said, digging around in her pocket. There was a jingle of keys. Blake took the keys from Yang’s hand and stuck them into the lock, opening the squeaky door. She pulled Yang up the steps with great difficulty. The inside of the RV was surprisingly clean but had a lingering smell of alcohol and cigarettes plus a few stains on the flooring. Blake dropped Yang on the bed, completely exhausted now. The RV was a stroke of luck since she could just put Yang straight to bed instead of having to drive her back to her place.

Blake bit her lip. What was she going to do now? She could run away and let Yang wake up believing that this night was all a cruel dream. Then Blake could return to how things had been before, forever living in fear of what could’ve happened if she had decided to brave for once in her life.    

“Blakeyyyyy~” Yang slurred in a sing-song voice, slowly falling into unconsciousness, “I’ve been trying to find you. I miss you so much.” She reached out a hand and placed it on Blake’s leg. No warning bells went off in her head at the contact. No knots in her stomach, no tightness in her chest.  

Blake placed her own hand over Yang’s to keep it from falling when she finally started to snore softly. 

She would be brave. 

She would stay. At least for the night.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does it count as a real reunion if one person doesn't remember it? Guess you'll have to wait and see :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clearly I struggled really hard with this chapter. Life has been very rough lately and writing has been impossible. I'm not happy with this chapter but I wanted to get this out there. I'm very sorry for the wait.

Yang didn’t want to open her eyes. She knew once she did, the wonderfully sadistic dream her brain had provided would slip away until she could no longer recall what it was about. Mornings like this were always the worst. They ruined the day before it even started by digging into wounds that seemed like they were finally beginning to heal. A glimpse of bubblegum pink flashed behind Yang’s closed eyelids, making her ground her teeth together. The brain was such such a cruel organ sometimes. 

No matter how desperately she tried to hold on, details of her dream were rapidly slipping away and soon she could barely remember more than the specific shade of pink. Willpower ebbing away, Yang finally let her eyes open. She had no idea how she managed to get back to her RV the night before, but at least she was home. Surprisingly, there was no annoying patch of sunlight that usually peaked through the blinds in the morning. Instead, there were swollen, gray clouds hanging heavy over the city. Thunder rumbled in the distance. 

She sat up and felt the familiar pound in her head. Hangover. Yang groaned and rubbed her eyes roughly, feeling like she needed a big glass of water. She paused, hands still hovering around her face. They smelled like perfume. In fact, her entire outfit smelled like it had been sprayed with flowers.Yang shrugged off her jacket and shirt, tossing them aside to be washed later. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell but the intensity made the burn of her headache that much worse. 

She rolled off of the bed and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the makeshift kitchen. Downing half of it in a few gulps, Yang sighed and dug through her cabinets for some painkillers. She grabbed the bottle and realized it was empty when it didn’t rattle. Of course. She dropped it into the trashcan and sullenly dug around in her pockets for her keys which were also nowhere to be found. Yang let out a frustrated growl, patting down all of the pockets on her body, even checking her shoes under the bed. She scanned the walls and saw them hanging neatly on the keyring by the door; which was odd because Yang had never used the keyring in all the years she owned the RV. She shrugged and snatched them up, turning to plop down into the driver's seat so she could get some goddamn medicine for the storm happening in her head.   

The only problem being there was already someone sitting in the driver’s seat, fast asleep. Yang dropped her keys and took a frightened step back. 

It was Blake.

Or, at least she was still dreaming of Blake. Yang slapped her face a few times. Blake was still there, curled up in a ball and breathing gently as she slept. Details of the night before were rapidly flooding back into Yang’s head like a broken dam. The concert, the bar, the angry fanus girl that Yang didn’t know. Oh God that wasn’t a dream it all happened. Yang’s heart rate was climbing dangerously but she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t drive away because Blake was sleeping in the driver’s seat, but she also couldn’t just leave the RV. She was frozen in place like a deer caught in the headlights. There was nowhere to run off to this time around. 

Blake stirred in her sleep as if Yang’s panic was loud enough to wake her. She lifted her head from the armrest and looked around blearily. Their eyes met and for a moment, Yang felt like she was floating. Never in a million years had she imagined this scenario happening to her. Pixie cut, pink haired Blake was real. 

“Yang.” Blake’s voice was husky with sleep but her eyes looked sad, “You’re awake.” Yang swallowed thickly, several different greetings trapped in her throat. All of them sounded pathetic. The tension was so heavy it made Yang feel like her clothes were soaked in water. 

“You were at the record store.” Yang blurted out, everything connecting so fast it made her head spin, “I tried to buy your record player.” Blake stared at her in confusion before realization flickered in her eyes. 

“That was you?” She asked in disbelief. Yang let out a nervous giggle. 

“Yes that was me. I felt a connection to it... or something weird like that.”

“You realize why don’t you?” Blake said. 

“No?” 

“You bought me that record player like five years ago.” Blake said, “For Christmas I think.” 

“Your birthday.” Yang corrected with a small smile as she remembered, “That was the night we got kicked out of that bar in LA for being ‘belligerent.’” 

“Actually  _ you  _ got kicked out the bar for being belligerent.” Blake said matter-of-factly, “I had to carry you out because you were so drunk.” 

“Oh yeah.” Yang said sheepishly, rubbing her neck, “I think you’re right.” 

Blake’s expression turned dark and her eyes fell to the stained carpet flooring, “I guess nothing has changed.” 

The heavy tension was back and Yang knew she would have to tread very carefully. She wanted to put a hand on Blake’s shoulder but the thought was terrifying. Her fingers twitched.

“A lot has changed.” Yang said,  _ “I’ve  _ changed. We all have.” Her eyes glanced up at Blake’s electric pink hair and ears which flattened at the words they just heard.

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Blake muttered angrily, “You’re still the party girl you always were.” 

“No, I’m not.” Yang said earnestly, “I haven’t been that person in a long time.” 

“Then what do you call this, Yang?” Blake asked incredulously, “We randomly run into each other at a concert and you’re so wasted that I have to carry you back to whatever you call  _ this?”  _ She gestured around the RV.

Yang didn’t answer. She stood silently with her arms hanging limp by her sides.  

“Is this how you’ve been living?” Blake plowed on, standing up from the driver’s seat, “Drinking to the point of death every night and hoping someone is kind enough to drag you back home when you can’t walk anymore?” 

“No I-” 

“You left your home and your friends behind for  _ this?”  _ Blake’s voice was rising and Yang found herself actually taking a step back from the raw fury, “You say you’ve changed but I still see the same Yang who got herself banned from every bar we went to. I see the same Yang that spent every night with her face in a toilet. The  _ same  _ Yang that always told me she loved me with liquor on her breath.”

Blake’s chest was heaving and she was standing in full attack mode. She reminded Yang of a lion crouched in the grass, ready to pounce on its prey. In truth, she didn’t have a rebuttal to Blake’s outburst. And for a split second she had a passing thought that maybe she  _ hadn’t  _ actually changed at all. After her behavior the night before, it did make her look pretty bad.       

“I don’t want to make excuses.” Yang sighed, “But I know everything I say is going to sound like one.”

She fought for more words while Blake looked at her expectantly, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed in anger. 

“You’re right Blake.” Yang said in defeat, running a hand through her hair, “I’m not proud of my actions, both last night and in the past.”

She gritted her teeth.

“But I need you to understand that one night of weakness doesn’t erase all of the progress I’ve made as a person.” 

Yang felt like she was lying. Her mind flickered to the noon margaritas that had become something of a ritual during her time in the desert. Nowhere near as bad before but not 100% pure. 

There was a moment of silence where they both stared at each other. Blake’s gaze was so intense that Yang almost lost her nerve and looked away, but she held strong for the sake of proving her point. She  _ was  _ a product of change a few harsh words weren’t going to undo that. Thunder rumbled again in the distance. 

“What are you doing here anyway?” Yang asked, finally breaking the silence, “In this town I mean.” 

The question was random but it had been gnawing on the back of Yang’s mind the entire morning. Blake seemed taken aback by the shift in conversation but it seemed to ease off some of her aggression. 

“I live here.” She said, “With a good friend of mine. He took me in after I left RWBY.” 

“Sun.” Yang said, “You used to talk about him a lot.” Blake’s close friendship with Sun had always made Yang the slightest bit jealous in the past, even though she knew it was totally unnecessary. So she had a few misplaced feelings about the monkey faunus, even though deep down she knew he was a good guy. Even the mention of him being there for Blake after everything that happened made her feel the slightest twinge of that old jealousy. 

“He helped me through everything.” Blake said, “If he hadn’t been there, I’m not sure what I would’ve done.” She hugged herself around the middle, and old habit of her’s that Yang recognized. Blake was still hurting.

Yang closed her eyes and tried not to let the tears slip through. She wasn’t looking for pity, but God it still hurt her so badly too. 

It hurt her to know she was still causing Blake so much pain even after all of this time. It felt so unforgivable. 

“Blake.” Yang said, eyes still shut and throat tight with emotion, “I know I’ve done nothing to earn your trust or forgiveness, hell I don’t even deserve how much you’ve listened to me speak; but I want to make things right.” 

The silence dragged on for a moment. Yang forced her eyes open and tears immediately came spilling out, running down her cheeks and dropping onto her undershirt. Even through the distortion of the tears, Yang could see that Blake was crying too. She wanted to take a step forward and wipe the tears from Blake’s cheeks but her trembling legs were cemented to the dirty floor of the RV. A few raindrops pattered against the roof. 

“I want to believe you Yang.” Blake finally said, wiping her face with her sleeve, “But I need to see change, I need to feel it.” 

“Give me the chance and I will.” Yang said, locking her jaw in place, “I want you in my life Blake. And I want you to feel the same way.” 

She held out a hand. Blake looked down at it uncertainly, clearly hesitant. Finally she tenderly reached out and slipped her hand into Yang’s palm and squeezed it. They stood like that for a moment, eyes blazing into each other. 

Yang knew this was her only chance to pull her life out of the metaphorical (and literal) desert she had been living in. It was her only chance to stop running and finally take the time to walk. It was her only chance to bring peace to both of their lives. 

And she was not going to mess it up. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly chipping away at this writer's block but thank you all for being so patient for with me :)

Blake closed the front door as quietly as she could, but an annoying thing about being a faunus is that they all had more than excellent hearing. Which meant that Sun definitely heard the door click shut from wherever he was in the house. It also meant that Blake heard him put down his game controller and come dashing out into the living room. 

“Blake!” He said with a big grin, “Dude how was your date? You didn’t come home last night!” His grin dropped when he saw the anxious face Blake was sure she was making, “What happened?” 

He hopped on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. Blake sat down tentatively and bit her lip, not sure how to begin.

“I found Yang.” She managed to force out after a moment of struggling. Her voice sounded hoarse, “At the concert.” Sun was stunned speechless, which was an impressive feat that was rarely accomplished. 

“You...found Yang. Like RWBY Yang? Like Yang that broke your heart?  _ That  _ Yang?” He asked in disbelief. 

“She...She was so  _ sad _ , Sun.” Blake said, tears sliding down her cheeks before she could stop them, “God she blames herself for everything.” Sun put an arm around Blake’s shoulder as she wiped her face with her sleeve. 

“And she was so drunk she thought she was dreaming of me.” Blake continued, “She’s been living in this shitty RV just drifting from place to place.”

More tears spilled.

“I’ve been hiding all this time not knowing how broken she is. How much  _ I  _ broke her.” 

Sun let Blake cry quietly until she stopped shaking and took several shaky breaths. 

“I know seeing her upset you a lot but, did you guys talk?” Sun asked gently. 

“A little.” Blake said, “I waited for her to wake up and I was angry. So angry at her for being so self-destructive just like she was before… you know.” 

“Guess she hasn’t changed much.” Sun mumbled. 

“She has,” Blake said, “She swore to me she has. But I don’t know if I should stick around to see it.” She looked at him desperately for an answer she knew he couldn’t give. 

Sun sighed and ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair. 

“I can’t answer that for you Blake.” He said, “Honest to God I want what Yang said to be true. And I can’t think of any other reason for you guys to run into each other after all this time.” 

He gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. 

“I can see that both of you are still hurting so much from this,” He said, “Maybe this is an opportunity to heal.” 

“What if it’s not?” Blake asked almost frightfully, thinking back to all of the pain she had already gone through the first time, “What if I take the leap and everything comes crashing down again?”  

“Then I’ll be right here to catch you again.” He said with a grin, “You’re my best friend, Blake and you know I won’t let you do this alone.” 

Blake laughed shakily at his dorky speech, wiping the remaining tears from her face.

“It sounds like you have a lot of thinking ahead of you. Just don’t fall too far into your own head about it like I know you always do.”

 

“Thanks, Sun.”     

 

\---

  
  


One of Blake’s favorite things about Neptune was that he had the ability to ramble on for hours even if she was only half listening. It made him an extremely easy person to work with. And lucky for her, he didn’t notice that she wasn’t listening at all. He obliviously babbled on about the graphic details of his surprise night with Sun while Blake silently stacked records on the shelf, her focus being a million miles away from what he was saying.

_ “I’ve been trying to find you. I miss you so much.”  _

Yang’s words kept firing off in Blake’s head like a canon and they startled her every time even though it had been almost two days since she heard them. It still didn’t feel real to her. Yang had been nothing more than a concept for so many years and now that she was here as an actual person, it was a bit overwhelming.

When Blake left RWBY, she had planned to never see any of them again. She wanted them to stay memories and nothing more. No surprise reunions, no birthday cards, no phone calls to catch up on what she had missed, nothing. Blake had become a ghost and she had every intention of staying that way.

Until, as usual, Yang had come barging into her life like a firecracker. 

She was relatively unchanged; more or less she just looked to be in a permanent state of exhaustion. And God, she just seemed so watered down. There was a pang of guilt in Blake’s chest as she thought of how placid Yang had become. And worse that she blamed herself. It made Blake’s chest throb as she continued to ignore Neptune. 

“Isn’t this great though?” Neptune asked, snapping Blake from her thoughts.

“What’s great?” 

“We’re both back into the game!” Neptune said, clenching his fist in triumph, “You’ve got your girl and I’ve got my guy!” 

“I don’t have anything.” Blake mumbled, tearing some plastic wrap off of a fresh stack of records. 

“What do you mean?” Neptune said, leaning over the counter, “What happened with Illia?” 

He gasped deeply.

“Blake! Don’t tell me you blew it!” He cried, throwing his head back, “We had a  _ plan!”  _

“It’s fine.” Blake said, “You still got Sun in your clutches which is what you wanted right?” 

“I mean  _ yeah _ but still!” Neptune scoffed, “How am I supposed to get you out of the house now?” 

Blake tried not to be offended at his remark as she got up to get more boxes from the back. The new RWBY album proved to be more than successful and their shop was having trouble keeping them on the shelves. Blake wanted to feel happy about it but mostly it just depressed her every time she had to read the personalized message on the back of the sleeve.   

_ To our stray cat and fiery dragon.  _

Neither of those descriptions seemed accurate anymore. Blake felt more like a scrappy alley cat that had been in too many fights and Yang was more like the ashes after a campfire now. It was sad.

The bell over the front door jingled and Blake could hear Neptune greeting the customer as if he knew them. If it was a regular, Blake could probably get away with hiding in the stockroom until they were gone. Her customer service wasn’t quite at its top performance today. She didn’t need to find an angry sticky note from Neo on her locker for upsetting someone. Neptune and the customer were laughing it up near the front desk and Blake immediately recognized the beautiful chime of Yang’s voice. 

Her heart hammered as she peaked around the door. Yang was leaning on the counter chatting animatedly with Neptune. A completely different Yang than the one that woke up in the RV the morning before. This was the fiery dragon that Ruby and Weiss missed. 

Even if she didn’t burn as bright as before, she was the one that Blake was still so in love with. 

“Yang.” Blake said, finally emerging from her hiding spot. Her heart was still beating too fast to be comfortable. 

“Hey!” Yang’s face lit up even more when she caught Blake’s eyes, “I was wondering when you were going to come out!” 

“What are you doing here?” Blake asked, then she noticed the busted up record player on the counter, “Oh.” 

“I just had a little accident with my record player.” Yang shrugged. From the way the record player looked, it suspiciously seemed as if Yang had taken blunt object to it herself. 

“I picked this one out myself.” Neptune said, flicking at the smashed base, “It’s a shame too. This one was in perfect condition.” 

“Yeah a real bummer.” Yang said, shoving it out of the way, “Might as well get a new one while I’m here right?” 

She seemed hesitant, as if she was holding back something else she wanted to say. Blake raised an eyebrow as permission to continue. Yang laughed nervously and scratched at her face. 

“Are you guys hiring?” 

Both Blake and Neptune stared at her blankly. 

“Are we...hiring?” Blake asked slowly, not really believing what she heard. 

“Yeah. I uh, could use something to do in my free time so I figured, y’know I like music and stuff so…” She trailed off awkwardly. It was mostly confusion that filled Blake’s head. Then the existential dread that she felt when thinking of spending late nights closing the shop with her and Yang and the tiny storage room with almost no space between them; Blake snapped herself out of her thoughts before they ran wild. 

“Are we hiring?” She turned towards Neptune who shrugged. 

“Ask Neo.” He said, “Do you know anything about working with records?”

“I can stock a shelf,” Yang answered, “And lift heavy boxes.” 

“Sounds good enough to me.” Neptune said to Blake. He turned towards the computer and began to type, “I’ll send an email to Neo.” 

“Is she not here today?” Yang asked. 

“She is,” Neptune said but didn’t bother to elaborate. Blake motioned to Yang to follow her. They walked back towards the wall where the used record players were held. 

“So,” Blake said once they were out of Neptune’s earshot, “You broke your record player as an excuse to come here and ask for a job.” 

“Ahh, guilty.” Yang admitted with a sheepish smile, “I used my guitar case to bust it.” 

“Why do you want to work here.” Blake asked with a scrutinizing look, “Last time I checked you’re not hurting for money.” 

“I already told you the truth.” Yang said, “I’ve got a lot of free time and figured I might as well be productive with it.” 

“But why here?” Blake pressed. Yang sighed. 

“I ran into Ruby and Weiss a couple weeks ago.” Yang said, looking tired, “And Weiss said something to me that really sunk in.” 

“What was it?” 

“She told me I can’t keep doing this,” She gestured to herself, “Wandering the country...hoping I’d find you somewhere.” 

She swallowed thickly.

“But I did find you. And I don’t know what it means but...It happened for a reason Blake. There was a one in a billion chance of us ever crossing paths but we did.” 

There was silence between them, the only sound being the clacking of Neptune’s keyboard. That was the second time Blake had heard that since their meeting.  

“Hey,” He called from the front of the shop, “Sorry but the boss says we’re fully staffed.”  

Yang let out a defeated laugh, leaning on the shelf next to her. 

“I wanted this job so I could stay close to you,” She said, “But maybe it wasn’t meant to be. A chance meeting doesn’t always go somewhere I guess.” 

She laughed again at her own wit and flicked the needle on one of the record players, looking hollowly at the floor. 

“There’s an organic food store down the street.” Blake said after a moment and some quick thinking, “They had a help wanted sign out front.” 

“Blake,”

“You’re right Yang,” She continued before she could be interrupted, “You can’t keep doing this.”

Yang looked away.

“But... we crossed paths for a reason. And I’m curious to see what happens.” 

She looked back, startled for a moment before a smile crossed her face. Both Yang and Sun were right, something had brought them together, whether it be blind luck or destiny, it was a chance to start over. And maybe even a chance for both of them to heal.  

“I could get down with some organic veggies.” Yang grinned, “I do enjoy the smell of fresh fruit.” 

“Maybe you could even find a proper place to live while you’re at it.” Blake said, “You should get rid of that RV.”

Yang shook her head and held up a hand.

“Nope. No way. The RV stays.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is currently 1:26 am and as soon as I finished writing this, a quick look at the RWBY Wiki revealed that Fennec is in fact a fox faunus not a wolf faunus. So just ignore that teeny tiny break from canon and just roll with it.

“Absolutely not! It’s preposterous that you would even ask such a thing!”

Yang was face to face with a now incredibly furious wolf faunus who was glaring at her like she had spat on his shoes. She had followed Blake’s advice and attempted to speak to someone about getting a job at the small organic grocery store right down the street from the record shop. Unfortunately, Blake had failed to warn her that it was, in fact, a store for faunus. 

“But why not?” Yang pressed, taking a step forward, trying to match up to his height, “I meet all the standards and requirements that you’re looking for!” 

_ “Because,”  _ the faunus said through his sharp teeth, “We don’t hire  _ humans.”  _ The last word rolled so bitterly off of his tongue that Yang had to suppress a shudder. The dreaded “h-word” drew the attention of several customers and employees who were now watching to see what the commotion was about. 

“What if I was recommended by a faunus?” Yang said, trying to ignore the prickly feeling of so many eyes on her. 

“Don’t care,” The wolf crossed his arms, “This is an organic grocery store founded and run by the faunus. There is no place for you here.” 

“You guys are the only ones hiring on this side of town,” Yang said, “I can lift, push, pull, run, jump, roll! Anything you guys need help with, I can do it.”

The wolf faunus opened his mouth angrily to retort but was cut off by someone calling his name. 

“Fennec!”

Both Yang and Fennec turned to see a girl about Yang’s age walking out of a back office. She looked like she could possibly be the manager, and the way Fennec’s ears twitched in fear pretty much gave away that she was. 

“What’s going on here?” She asked, looking between them. 

“Ilia! This...human wants a job here,” He quickly explained, “I’ve tried telling her no a hundred times but she won’t leave.” The whine in his voice sounded very canine. 

She turned to Yang and there was a distinct flicker of recognition in her eyes. Which was odd because Yang was sure she had never seen this person before in her life. Then Yang remembered that she was an international super star at one point and she became slightly nervous that Ilia was a RWBY fan. 

“You’re Blake’s friend.” She said, “I recognize you from the White Fang concert.”

That was the last thing Yang ever expected to be recognized for. 

“You know Blake?” Yang blanched, now extremely confused, “When did you see me at the concert?” That night was still incredibly hazy. 

“Yeah you were passed out drunk at the bar.” Ilia said with a chuckle, “Blake ditched me to drag your lifeless body to wherever.” 

Great first impression on a potential employer. 

“Oh uhh, sorry about that,” Yang said, feeling incredibly awkward, “I’m Yang by the way.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ilia said as they shook hands, “Honestly I’m just glad you survived. I’ll admit I was a little worried myself.”

“And they say humans can hold their liquor right?” Yang said with a shrug. 

To her surprise, Ilia let out a big laugh. It made her relax a little. 

“What job were you looking for here, Yang?” Ilia asked, grabbing the stack of paper out of Fennec’s hand, “Hmm stockroom work. Well we are understaffed.” 

“B-But Ilia,” Fennec sputtered, “Adam’s Organics only hires faunus! And she’s a  _ human!”  _

“I think we could use the extra muscle.” Ilia said, “Unless you want to go in the back and move all of those pallets yourself?” 

Fennec shut his mouth and shook his head darkly, muttering something about being an intellectual and not a meathead. He scurried away and disappeared behind a display of organic beets. 

“Sorry about him.” Ilia said apologetically, “He grew up in Menagerie so he’s not really used to interacting with humans if you couldn’t tell.”

“It’s okay, I get it.” Yang said, “We’ve done awful things to you guys I don’t blame him for being wary.”

“Pretty open-minded for your kind.” Ilia remarked.

“I like to call it being a decent person.” Yang said with a grin, “Besides I dated an activist cat faunus for like, three years. I’m very aware of the struggles.” 

“Reasonable enough.” Ilia said, “Come on, I’ll take you to the back and get you set up for work.” 

They walked down the aisles where a few customers lingered about, checking prices and turning over produce in their hands. All of them were faunus. Yang had to admit that she felt very out of place and wondered if this is what Blake felt like all the time. Especially when they would play shows in mostly human venues. Ilia led Yang into the back stockroom where large crates full of fruits and vegetables were stacked almost up to the ceiling. 

“So,” Ilia turned, “You’ll spend most of your days back here sorting produce onto their appropriate carts so the stock clerks can put them on the shelves.” 

She led Yang farther back where they stopped in front of a large metal door that seemed to slide upward to open. 

“This is where the trucks come to drop off fresh stock.” She gestured to the large chain dangling off to the side, “Pull this, door comes up, use this pallet jack to move the crates from the truck to the sale wall.” 

“Seems simple enough.” Yang said, silently hoping she hadn’t lost too much of her muscle strength in the last few years. 

“It’s fairly easy to get the hang of.” Ilia said, “It’s the physical part of it all that takes some adjustment.” 

“Am I doing this all on my own?” Yang asked, feeling a little unsure about that.

“Nah, we’re moving a guy from overnight to come help out during the daytime since we’re so understaffed.” 

“Clearly, since you had to resort to human help.” Yang said. Ilia laughed and motioned for her to follow again. 

“We don’t really have a dress code except for nametag and a red vest.” Ilia said as they entered her office at the front of the store, “Honestly you don’t really need the vest unless you’re going to be out on the sales floor interacting with customers.”

Yang took the vest and name tag which was blank. She would have to think of a fake name to put on it to avoid the risk of being identified. Ilia dug around in her desk and pulled out a stack of paper.

“Okay so normally you’d fill out these papers and then you could start the next day but…” Ilia thumbed through the stack, “I want to keep you as an under the table worker.” 

“Huh? Why?” 

“Well, what Fennec said was technically true.” Ilia said, “Adam’s Organics really doesn’t hire humans. Not officially at least.” 

“Ohh I get it, I work for you but I  _ don’t  _ work for you.” Yang said with a smirk, “I can roll with that.”

“Okay good,” Ilia seemed relieved, “Well since you don’t have any paperwork to fill out, let’s get you started on Wednesday. Does that work for you?”

“I’ll be here, boss.” Yang winked. 

 

\---

 

“Come onnnn Blake I want to go hoooome.” Neptune whined as he stood by the front door of the shop. His bag was slung over his shoulder and his hand rested impatiently on the door handle. 

“I’m coming just hold on for a second.” Blake said impatiently as she tried to finish up the till report on the computer, “You know nothing is keeping you from leaving without me.” 

“I know that but what kind of person would I be to leave you all alone and helpless?” Neptune said, “But seriously hurry up or I will leave you.” 

“Just go, I still have to organize the clearance bins.” Blake said, getting up to shoo him out the door. 

“Fine, only because my phone is about to die.” Neptune stuck his tongue out at her before walking out. He waved goodbye through the window before disappearing around the corner, leaving Blake in peace. The truth was, Blake had finished all of her work about half and hour ago. She knew Yang was finishing up her first day of work right about this time and  _ maybe  _ they happen to run into each other on their way home. Blake buried her face in her hands, embarrassed at how childish her plan was. She felt like she was back in middle school, waiting outside so she could happen to run into her crush on the way to the bus. 

She and Yang had agreed to spend more time together and see how things go, so this was her way of making sure that happened. That was all. It was completely innocent. 

Though when Blake thought of walking home with Yang, a severe jolt of anxiety shot through her chest. It was a feeling that still hadn’t gone away even after their reunion. Thinking of Yang had been such a source of dread and misery for so many years that even now her brain still associated her with those awful feelings. Her hands shook slightly. 

Blake quickly gathered her things and had every intention of ditching the plan and going straight home, all while wishing she had made Neptune wait for her. Blake slung her bag over her shoulder and bent down to press the power button on the computer when there was a knocking sound on the window. She stood up and saw Yang grinning with her face pressed so close to the glass it was fogging up. The unexpected goofiness of the sight made her let out a giggle. The sound startled her. She couldn’t remember the last time she  _ giggled.  _

“Stop before I make you clean the entire front of the store!” Blake scolded playfully. Yang’s laugh was muffled but still so musical to Blake. She hurried outside and locked the door behind her.  

“Ta da!” Yang spread out her arms, “Say hello to Adam’s Organics’ newest stockroom worker!” 

“Congratulations!” Blake said, clapping while Yang took a deep bow, “How was your first day?” 

“Pretty much everything that could go wrong  _ definitely  _ went wrong.” Yang said as they began walking down the empty sidewalk.

“Of course it did.” Blake hummed, “Disaster always walks in your shadow.” 

“So first of all, the guy who was supposed to train me didn’t show up so I had to figure most of it out on my own, then I knocked over a giant crate of carrots onto one of the assistant managers,” Yang was ticking off the catastrophes on her fingers, “Also most of the other employee’s don’t like me because I’m human which is fair, oh and my boss knows you.” 

Blake looked at Yang in surprise. 

“Your boss knows me? How?”   

“You guys went to the White Fang concert together.” Yang said, “Are you guys friends or something?” 

Blake’s heartbeat immediately picked up speed and she had a very hard decision to make and only a split second to make it. Should she lie to Yang or tell her the truth about how she knew Ilia? 

“I know her because we were on a date that night.” Blake finally said. The air between them immediately chilled. 

“O-Oh.” Yang said, clearly not expecting that answer, “That’s cool, I mean she’s super laid-back and likes good music and she knows a lot about most vegetables so y’know…” She trailed off awkwardly. Blake could tell that Yang was trying very hard to seem nonchalant about it but she was always so awful at masking her emotions that Blake saw right through her.  

“I didn’t even want to go on the date in the first place.” Blake explained quickly, “It was all part of Neptune’s diabolical plan to get me out of the house so he could hook up with Sun.” 

Yang seemingly chewed this over as they walked. Blake had a nagging fear that maybe she made the wrong split second decision. 

“She did mention that you ditched her to take care of my drunk ass.” Yang finally said, a grin returning to her face. 

“Yeah I don’t blame her for still being upset about it.” Blake grimaced, “She thought I was lying about knowing you to end the date early.” 

“Well honestly she didn’t seem that mad about it.” Yang shrugged, “Guess I was proof that you weren’t lying.” 

They turned a final corner and ended up standing in front of Blake and Sun’s tiny house. 

“This is me.” Blake said, “Sorry I made you walk all the way here.” 

“No worries, it’s a nice night for a walk.” Yang said casually as a gentle breeze rustled her blonde curls. Blake wanted so badly to invite Yang inside. Maybe watch a movie or just enjoy each other’s company. Would that be moving too fast? Would she be able to handle that? 

Probably not. Blake considered herself incredibly responsible and rational, and that was the great thing about dating Yang. She could let go of that constant nag to make good choices and just be wild for the sake of being wild. Yang was the queen of letting loose and after so many years of being around someone like that, Blake figured that a smidgen of it would eventually rub off onto her. 

But it never did. Now more than ever, Blake was cautious. Too cautious some would say, but “better safe than sorry” was a mantra she lived by. And a couple weeks of being around Yang definitely wasn’t enough to change that. 

“Thanks for walking me home.” Blake said, “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Sure.” Yang gave a soft smile, “I’ll be there right when you get off.” 

Blake walked up the steps, turning and waving goodnight to Yang who gave a farewell salute with two fingers before heading back the way she came. Blake watched her until the last golden curl faded into the darkness.     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also just a disclaimer here that Adam is not a part of this story and will not be appearing in any other way except in the name of a grocery store. Adam's Organics just had such a nice ring to it.


	10. Chapter 10

Yang groaned and stood up straight, trying to stretch out her spine which now felt permanently bent from all of the boxes she had moved that day. Chalk it up to being out of shape or improper lifting techniques but all Yang knew was that she was tired. Nobody said the work would be easy but unloading trucks was a lot harder than she imagined when she took the job. She wiped her face and waited for her coworkers to move the last few crates off of the truck before pulling down the hatch and locking the receiving door. Yang sighed in relief and glanced down at her watch. Closing time. 

“Guess that’s our cue to go home.” She said. Most of the faunus only nodded in acknowledgement but a few outright glared at her before turning to clock out for the night. Yang shrugged and followed behind them to punch her timesheet.

She figured this type of mistrust would come with the job. A majority of her faunus coworkers didn’t care much for her company but were quiet about their discomfort. Some of them were very forward with their disgust, shooting dirty looks and muttering darkly to each other whenever she was working. Yang wondered if Fennec had anything to do with that. She wouldn’t put it past him to gossip about her when she wasn’t around. But being liked wasn’t why Yang took the job in the first place. She wanted to be close to Blake and that was it. This was her second chance, even if it meant being beaten back into shape by hard labor. Besides, she could easily deal with a few nasty looks here and there. 

Yang stuck her timecard into the slot and waited for the machine to spit it back out. She tucked it away in her bag and hurried to the front door. She didn’t want to miss Blake who was probably finishing up her own closing routine for the night. She waved good-bye to some of her coworkers (who barely acknowledged her) and made her way down the aisles towards the front doors.  

“Hey Yang!” Ilia motioned to her from the front office, “Come over here really quick!” 

Yang repressed a groan, her hand hovering just above the handle. So close. She turned and grudgingly walked over to her boss.

“Yeah what’s up?” Yang asked, glancing at her watch again.

“Just checking in to see how you’re doing so far,” Ilia said, leaning back in the squeaky office chair, “We haven’t gotten a chance to talk since you started.” 

“No complaints.” Yang said, “I show up, lift some stuff, and then go home.” 

“I’ve heard that some of your fellow associates haven’t really warmed up to you yet.” She frowned, some of the spots on her face turned an odd shade of gray, “Do I need to have a chat with any of them?” 

“Oh no no!” Yang said quickly, “I get why they’re upset but it’s really not a big deal. I have a thick skin.” The last thing Yang wanted was a reputation of being a tattle tale. It almost made her shudder thinking about how bad things would get if her coworkers thought she was a sniveling narc. 

“Fair enough,” Ilia chuckled, reaching into her desk, “Here’s your first week’s pay.” Yang took the envelope without opening it and stuffed it into her backpack. She didn’t care about the cash nearly as much as she cared about getting out of there. 

“Thanks boss,” She said quickly, shuffling towards the door, “See ya tomorrow.” Ilia gave a wave as Yang began to fast-walk towards the door. The way out was now blocked by two of her more unfriendly faunus coworkers. Yang actually let out a groan this time. If it wasn’t one thing it was another. 

“Whaaaaat?” She whined, “I have places to be guys.”

One of them was beefy with thick, curled horns and the other had a long bushy tail. Maybe some sort of desert fox? They both had their arms crossed. They glared at her and said nothing. 

“Okay seriously let me through.” Yang warned, starting to lose her patience, “I’m not going to ask again.”

She could handle the muttering and looks, but this was just straight up inconvenience. The horned faunus snorted but moved aside, giving Yang a threatening scowl as she side-stepped him and bolted through the door. She practically sprinted down the street towards Torchwick’s Turntables where the neon sign had just gone dark. That meant Blake was pretty much done for the night and would be outside any minute. 

Yang had been walking Blake home almost every night since she started working at Adam’s Organics and it was what she looked forward to her entire shift. They often talked about their own respective work days or bantered lightheartedly until they made their stop outside of Blake’s house. This was where it always became tense. Yang  _ knew  _ that Blake wanted to invite her inside, but she never did. There was always a silent moment where she could see Blake considering every outcome, but so far her brain always came to the conclusion that it was a bad idea. And maybe Yang agreed. Blake still seemed...fragile at some times, especially when they were alone together and Yang didn’t want to ruin anything by being pushy. 

She strolled up to the shop and did her usual knock on the window but this time nobody answered, which struck Yang as incredibly odd. Blake was usually finishing up inventory on the computer or even locking up the safe, both of which were right up front. Yang pressed her face to the glass and peered inside. It was empty. She tried tugging on the door but it was locked. Maybe Blake had already left without her? The pessimistic thought almost made her give up and walk home on her own. 

Then she saw Blake come out of the back room seemingly frazzled as she looked left and right as if she had lost something. Her shock-pink hair was sticking up in all directions and parts of her shirt had become untucked from her jeans. Yang knocked on the window again, making Blake jump in surprise. She scurried to unlock the front door but it took her a moment to locate her keys. 

“Yang I’m sorry I can’t walk home with you tonight,” She said quickly, “I’m way behind on inventory and Neptune called out ‘sick’ today which means he’s getting laid somewhere and I really need to finish all of this before Neo comes in tomorrow or I’m gonna be in huge trouble-” 

“Whoa whoa,” Yang held up her hands, “Slow down Blake. Take a breath before you pass out.” 

Blake grimaced but took a moment to collect herself. Sighing deeply, she rubbed a hand through her hair which in turn made her cat ears twitch. Yang bit back a squeal at how cute it looked. 

“I’m sorry,” She said, sounding completely worn out, “This giant shipment came in right before closing and it could take me all night to sort it all out.” 

“No biggie,” Yang said, shrugging off her backpack and tossing it aside, “I’m here to help.” 

“Yang no, you don’t have to,” Blake said, “I know you lift heavy boxes off of trucks all day so you’re probably tired.” 

“Nonsense,” Yang pushed past Blake who followed behind her anxiously, “I’m not gonna leave you to deal with this mess all on your own.” 

She ignored the “employees only” sign and opened the door to the stockroom, assessing the damage. It was a lot of work for one person that was for sure, but Yang figured the two of them could knock it out in a couple hours. She almost grinned to herself. This was  _ way  _ better than a walk home. 

“Are these sorted by genre?” Yang asked, setting down a box and reaching for another one. 

“That would make it too easy,” Blake said with a bitter laugh, “That’s the part that takes the longest.”      

“And how many genres are there to sort through?”

“Well there's the basics like rock, country, pop, hip-hop, and then there's sub categories like punk, RnB-” Blake hummed thoughtfully, ticking the numbers off her fingers. 

“Okay well I see why this would take someone all night.” Yang cut in, “But luckily there’s  _ two  _ of us so it should only take half of the time.” 

“At least you probably work faster than Neptune.” Blake said, rolling her eyes, “He spends most of the time talking.” 

“One of my best qualities is that I can work  _ and  _ talk at the same time.” Yang said with a grin, pulling a huge stack of records out of their box. She then realized that each one was a completely different genre of music just like Blake had warned. Some of them she hadn’t even heard of. What the hell was synthwave pop? She shrugged and tossed it into a pile anyway. 

“I can play some music if you want.” Blake offered after a few moments of quiet sorting. Yang figured she was uncomfortable with the silence. 

“Yeah dude of course,” Yang flashed a thumbs up, “What do you have?” 

“I don’t know if it would be anything that you like.” Blake said a little nervously, “I listen to a lot of acoustic now.” 

“Come on you know I’ve always liked your jams.” Yang said, “Put on whatever you want I’m sure I’ll love it.” 

Blake seemed a little bit more reassured as she dug around in an old cabinet near the employee lockers. She thumbed through a few rows before finally sliding out a faded sleeve, carefully taking out the record and placing it on her player. The needle crackled over the surface for a few seconds before a pleasant guitar rift began floating from her speakers. They dove back into their work again, Yang now taking her time and enjoying the much more comfortable silence between them. Blake nodded her head along with the song, mouthing the words and tapping her fingers on her knees along with the slow beat. 

When they were together, Yang would always take those quiet moments to remind Blake how in love with her she was. Whether it be a breezy “I love you” or with no words at all. It never failed to make Blake burst into modest stutters or flush deep red. But it always earned her a kiss and a soft “I love you too.”

But now, Yang couldn’t do that. There were no more “I love you’s” or lazy touches. She could only steal quick glances and fight down the agonizing yearn she felt in her chest to be able to do those things again. 

“You awake over there?” Blake called from across the room. She was grinning playfully. 

“Of course I am,” Yang said airily, “In fact I think I’ve sorted more records than you by now.” 

“I highly doubt that.”

“Look at my stacks!” Yang gestured to her corner of the room. Blake walked over and squinted at the many piles Yang had created over the hour they had been working. 

“Yang most of these are wrong.” Blake said, laughing despite the extra time it would take her to re-sort Yang’s mistakes, “How can you be so out of touch with music?”

“Hey I only listened to the radio for the better part of three years.” Yang said in defense, “And it was only the oldies stations too.” 

“Well that explains it.” Blake teased as she began to rearrange many of the stacks, “I’m pretty sure those are the only ones you sorted correctly.”

“Just say you hate the classics Blake.” Yang said, “I won’t be offended I promise.” 

“Fine, I hate  _ most  _ of the classics.” Blake conceded, “The rest I tolerate at best.” 

“Good enough for me.” Yang shrugged, grabbing one of the correctly sorted piles of records, “I’m going to put these on the shelves.” 

“Those are over by thrash metal,” Blake said, pointing to the left side of the shop, “Second to last shelf on the right.” 

They took turns going back and forth until almost all of the records had been placed in their respective areas. It was admittedly a lot more work than Yang thought it was going to be and she felt her last remaining bit of stamina starting to run dry. 

“Last genre,” Blake said, grabbing one of the piles, “Let’s get this done so we can go home.” 

“Thank God.” Yang sighed, bending down to grab her share. She stopped. 

It was Weiss and Ruby’s newest album. 

Yang swallowed thickly and picked up one of the copies. The front cover was the two of them sitting on a broken swing set, looking at an empty space between them. It sent a pang of guilt down into Yang’s stomach as she flipped the sleeve over. The song titles seemed so...sad and she didn’t even have to hear them to know what the album was about. She didn’t know if she even wanted to hear them at all. 

“I listened to it.” Blake said. Yang turned, not liking the troubled look on Blake’s face. She was leaning against the doorframe, eyes locked onto the album in Yang’s hands.

“How was it?” She asked. 

“They’re an excellent duet,” Blake said aloofly, as if she was trying to seem uninterested, “Don’t know why Ruby plays the drums when she has a voice like that.” 

“You know she never liked the spotlight.” Yang chuckled almost darkly, looking back down at the picture of her sister. Guilt shot through her again. 

“Did you...see the dedication?” Blake asked hesitantly. She was looking at the floor now, arms crossed. Yang flipped the album back over. 

_ This album is dedicated to our favorite stray cat and fiery dragon. _

“I guess they miss us.” Yang said, trying so hard to sound casual. Her throat felt tight, “Have you seen them at all? Since...you know.” 

Blake bit her lip as if the mere thought of a reunion sent her into an anxious spiral. 

“No,” She said, “I haven’t. You and Sun are the only ones that know I’m here.” 

There was thick silence between them that Yang desperately wanted to break but she didn’t know how. Blake looked downright distraught now and the fun atmosphere had gone cold. Yang fought the urge to shatter the record over her knee just to get it away from her.

“Look,” She finally said, “It’s late and we’re both tired. We don’t have to talk about this right now.” Yang tossed the record back on top of the others and hoisted them into her arms. She quickly deposited them onto the shelf where they belonged and didn’t look back as she went to the now-empty stockroom. They tossed the boxes into the dumpster outside and gathered their things. Blake turned off the lights and locked the front door with her keys, sighing as she stowed them away in her backpack. 

“Thank you for helping me tonight.” She said, turning to Yang, “I owe you big time.” 

“Nah don’t worry about it I had fun.” Yang waved her down, “Besides I needed some exposure to music that wasn’t made fifty years ago.” 

“Did you see anyone that you were interested in?” Blake asked as they began to walk down the sidewalk towards her house. The thick, heavy atmosphere had dissipated into calm once again. 

“Well there were a few punk bands that sounded cool,” Yang said thoughtfully, “The Death Stalkers?” 

“Sun likes them.” Blake said, “A bit too loud for my tastes now.”

“Sounds perfect for me then,” Yang said with a grin.  

After a few blocks they stopped in front of Blake’s house. None of the lights were on and the inside seemed empty. The silent contemplation crossed Blake’s face once again but Yang didn’t expect much. They had just spent the better part of four hours sorting through a mass amount of records. She wouldn’t be hurt if Blake just wanted to go inside and crawl into bed. Yang also felt the sting of fatigue starting to settle in. The gravel of the sidewalk crunched under her heel as she prepared to turn and head back to her RV. 

Blake stopped her with a soft smile. 

“Do you want to come inside?”    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoot me an ask on Tumblr and let me know how I'm doing: gummy-the-ghost.tumblr.com
> 
> As always thank you for your patience!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a hundred different versions of this. I struggled I'll admit lol. Hope it's okay.

Blake’s house was small and modest, which didn’t surprise Yang in the very least. It suited her style as Blake had never been the materialistic type and often kept her living spaces sparse. Although the house had originally belonged to Sun, Yang could still see the whispers of Blake around the living room when she walked inside. A small bookshelf and a vase of flowers were tucked away in the corner by the couch and Yang would’ve missed it if she hadn’t known to look for it. 

“Can I get you a drink?” Blake asked from the tiny kitchen. She looked nervous, standing by the fridge with her hands hovering awkwardly in the air. Yang raised an eyebrow. 

“Are you okay with that?” She asked cautiously, “We don’t have to.”

“No no it’s okay. I want to be a courteous host.” Blake reassured with a smile. 

“Well okay, whatcha got?” Yang shrugged, “I didn’t think you were much of a drinker.” 

“I mean, I think Sun has some beer in here.” Blake pulled open the fridge and rummaged around a bit until Yang heard the familiar clinking of bottles. 

She made a face as she stood back up. 

“I don’t know if you would drink a banana IPA?” She asked, holding up the bottle for Yang to study with a grimace. The label claimed it was made with real bananas. “I didn’t think so.” Blake stashed the beer back into the fridge door. 

“I think you’re looking in the wrong place.” Yang said, reaching up to the cabinets over the microwave, “There we go.” She moved some tupperware out of the way to reveal a lone bottle of tequila. 

“I didn’t even know that was in there.” Blake seemed incredibly surprised. 

“I figured a guy like Sun would probably have a stash somewhere.” Yang smirked, yanking the cork out of the bottle, “I think I saw some lime juice in the fridge if you want to grab that.” 

Blake turned and rummaged again.

“I don’t mean to brag, but I can make one hell of a margarita, if you’re game.” Yang said, thinking back to her time in the desert. It had been like honing a craft.

Blake seemed to consider it, her ears turning on her head as she contemplated.

“Sure why not?” She finally said, reaching up and grabbing two glasses from the cabinet behind her. Yang grinned excitedly and took the glasses from Blake. 

“Okay so I’m going to teach you the secret to making the perfect margarita. I learned it in Mexico.” Yang said, motioning Blake to come closer. She dropped exactly four ice cubes into each glass before reaching for the bottle of liquor.  

“You went to Mexico?” 

“Duh, where do you think I scored the RV?” Yang rolled her eyes, laughing as she poured an equal amount into each cup. She grabbed the lime juice and splashed it a couple times over the tequila, finally grabbing a pinch of salt and sprinkling it right on top instead of around the rim. 

“The secret is the lime juice and the salt.” She handed Blake the drink. “It has to be sweet enough for taste but with enough kick to burn on the way down.”

“Is that so?” Blake asked teasingly, “Because it looks like you just poured a drop of lime juice into a full glass of tequila.” 

“Take a sip.” Yang challenged. Blake gave her a doubting look but slowly raised the glass to her lips and did as she was told.

“Wow,” She said, tongue running over her lips in a way that made Yang’s heart pound, “I’m impressed.”

“If you think  _ that’s  _ impressive, just wait until you try my other drinks.” Yang winked over the rim of her own glass before draining it in two swift gulps. The chill from the ice mixed with the fire of the tequila always made itself at home in Yang’s throat. She placed the empty cup on the counter and used her thumb to wipe the corner of her mouth.   

She was also  immensely enjoying the way Blake was trying so hard not to stare. Yang could see it so easily on her face and the way her amber eyes kept bouncing from the floor to the wall and then back to Yang. Finally Blake raised her own glass to her lips and drained it just as fast. 

“Another?” Yang asked, pointing at the bottle. 

“Sure.” 

Yang worked her magic again, careful not to give Blake  _ too  _ much alcohol. She had always been incredibly lightweight and Yang was pretty sure that hadn’t changed.  

“Hey,” She said, eyes still looking down as she poured their drinks, “Do you remember that time we went skinny dipping in Miami?” 

Blake let out a quick laugh, her face darkening to a shameful red as she recalled the memory. 

“Oh, God yes.” She sighed, still chuckling, “It was such a stupid thing to do.”

“Why, because it was a public beach?” Yang smirked. 

“Yes!” Blake took her drink, “And it was only eight o'clock, there were still a ton of people there!” 

They both laughed until tears pricked at the corner of Yang’s eyes. She had been the one to suggest it. The day had been way too boring, and boring just did not suit Yang Xiao Long’s lifestyle.She had stripped down first, confidently standing with her hands on her hips as the others covered their eyes in disgust. Finally, they all removed their clothes piece by piece and went sprinting into the ocean.

“That was such a fun night.” Yang said fondly, setting down her once again empty glass, “God I swear some days I almost miss it.” She took a swig straight from the bottle, “Almost.” 

“I feel the same way.” Blake said admittedly, “We had the time of our lives sometimes.”

“You’d think that would make up for all of the shit we had to put up with.” Yang said with a hint of casual fury in her voice. She shrugged and took another sip, passing it to Blake. “That’s all ancient history now.” 

Blake was looking intensely at her now. The amber in her eyes seemed to shine, but that could’ve easily been the booze making Yang see things.

“Why did you leave Yang?” Blake asked, setting the bottle down. The question admittedly took Yang but surprise and she felt like she didn’t have a proper answer prepared. Or maybe an answer to that question would take too long to say. Yang crossed her arms and leaned back against the fridge. 

“Same as you I suppose.” She said gruffly, “Too much pressure.” 

That was only half-true. But it seemed like an acceptable enough answer for Blake. She picked up the bottle again and took a long sip, coughing roughly when it hit her throat. 

“Easy there,” Yang laughed, giving Blake a few whacks on the back, “I know talking about feelings is hard but don’t kill yourself.” 

“I still don’t know how you do that.” Blake coughed again, clutching her neck, “I think I burned a hole in my throat.” 

“Honestly it’s a talent.” Yang said, “I wouldn’t expect you common folk to understand.” She walked Blake over to the couch and sat her down. 

“Oh God,” Blake giggled, “I think that’s a buzz I feel coming on.” Her cheeks were flushed red and her body sank into the cushion.  

“I think you’re a little past buzzed Blake.” Yang chuckled, “I tried to go easy on you too. You’re more lightweight than ever.” 

“Well, I haven’t had a drink since…” Blake trailed off as she counted on her fingers, “Maybe 3 years.” 

“Ruby’s birthday.” Yang said, recalling the memory at once, “You slammed more jaeger bombs than anyone else there. I was so proud.”

“We found Weiss passed out in the bathtub the next morning.” Blake’s voice was being cracked up by more uncontrollable giggles, “She brought her pillow and everything.” 

They exploded into a fit of laughter. 

It felt so natural to Yang. Late nights talking about nothing had been their favorite pastime on tour and Blake’s gleeful smile as she giggled was more intoxicating than the tequila in her glass.

Yang felt herself getting drunk on it. 

\---   

“I still have Gambol.” Blake said, “I keep it under my bed.”

She was laying on the floor next to Yang, both of them staring up at the dark ceiling. The clock on the microwave said it was close to four in the morning but as far as Blake was concerned, time didn’t exist anymore.  

“Funny,” Yang said with a slight smile, “I keep Bumblebee under my bed as well. You still play?”

Blake bit her lip. “No, it’s been a long time. I’m probably really rusty.” 

“Probably.” Yang shrugged, “I know I was.” 

She grimaced as she thought of the aching hands and the stabbing pains of her finger tips worn down by the guitar strings. 

“I miss music.” Blake sighed candidly. She didn’t elaborate further. She didn’t need to. Both of them understood the implications of the statement. 

“It’s not that bad when you start again.” Yang said earnestly, “Rusty, yes, but...it feels nice.” She folded her hands together over her stomach. “Like catching up with an old friend.” 

Blake seemed to ponder this, also folding her hands over her stomach in thought. They stared up at the ceiling in a comfortable quiet moment. 

As if by the pull of magnets, or gravity, or whatever you want to call it, both Blake and Yang felt their heads turning to face each other. Yang’s heart was pounding against her ribs as she stared into Blake’s shining eyes. Her body was moving on her own, tilting forward as she inched closer and closer to Blake who seemed to be doing the same motions. 

Blake’s fingers rested softly on Yang’s jawbone, stroking down towards her chin. Closer and closer until she could feel Blake’s breath on her lips, their noses barely brushing, faces red, eyes closed, hearts stomping, fingers crossed. 

Blake’s lips were as soft as Yang remembered. She tasted like every smile, every laugh, every moment that Yang hadn’t been there to see the last three years. It was more exhilarating than hearing the screams of a sold out world tour stadium. Blake pulled her closer, fingers digging into Yang’s shoulders almost desperately. She held her like she would turn to dust and fly away if she were to let go. And Yang was holding her back just as urgently, as if her entire existence depended on never letting go. The heartbreak, the pain, the past didn’t even matter now. She was flying. 

It wasn’t until Blake pulled away that Yang realized that tears were running down her cheeks. 

“Why are you crying?” Blake asked with a shaky laugh, gently wiping them away with her thumbs. 

“I don’t know,” Yang said, voice thick and heavy. She broke into a grin, slipping Blake’s hand into her own and holding it against her chest, “Joy?” 

Yang felt love on her tongue, beating against her lips wanting desperately to be said. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Instead she kissed Blake again. And again. And again.  

**Author's Note:**

> gummy-the-ghost.tumblr.com :)


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